About Mark Chadbourne

I grew up in an artistic family with several generations on both my mother and father’s sides creating various types of art work, from calligraphy to inlaid mahogany furniture to costume design to water color paintings.  Since childhood I have done a variety of art work, including line sketches, pen & ink drawings, tissue paper collages, and wood cuts, which have led me to my current focus which is on abstract geometric paintings.  Currently I work with acrylics on canvas.

 

I have always been interested in architecture, and am drawn to a clean and lean industrial design aesthetic in the paintings I create.  I work to establish an edgy sense of order portrayed by the lines, hard edges, and geometric compositions in my work.  With a disciplined approach and methodology, I aim to capture the exuberance of interacting various shaded colors, scales, patterns, and volumes all within a well defined geometric structure and design in each of my paintings.

 

I begin my paintings with a pencil sketch which provides me a solid concept of how I would like the initial design to unfold.  Once I have a composition laid out on canvas, I utilize masking tape to outline the areas I will paint.  Then I use matte medium to seal the masking tape which sets out clean and crisp parameters. Next I paint the taped out areas, often using up to four multiple coats of paint to establish solid and flat colors. My last step is to remove the masking tape and complete the rest of the painting.

 

My paintings reflect my fascination and attraction with non-representational art.  In each painting my intent is to create a strong visual statement where the viewer can find balance in the off balance and in the asymmetry that I have created and painted.  My goal is for the viewer to discover appeal and challenge in the architectural spaces and volumes, as well as in the color palette, that I have been inspired to paint. 

 

I graduated from Syracuse University with a BA (cum laude) in Fine Arts, where I started with my geometric hard edged painting style.  After many years in the financial services industry, I have returned to my childhood passion of creating art work.

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- Mark Chadbourne