Mark Stevens

Mark Stevens was born in West London in 1970.

He attended Newbury College of Art and Design achieving ‘O’ and ‘A’ levels to a high degree.

In 1990 Mark attended the Gemini school of Illustration where he gained a diploma upon graduation in 1993. Having learned the basics of most mediums he went on to focus on fine art and has, since leaving, continually invested more time to learn new skills, predominantly with oils which was self taught, finding this to be his preferred choice but also still using varied materials.

Upon leaving Gemini Illustration school he worked as a freelance illustrator and designer, where he produced illustrations, visuals, brochures, promotional literature, posters for product launches for major companies such as Virgin Atlantic, British Airways etc.

After moving to a new area he took a position at a card/print company as the 'sole in-house' artist producing more than 300 cards/prints to be sold both nationally and internationally.  Having become bored and disillusioned with 'tweedom', teddy bears and suchlike, he decided to venture out on his own securing both private commissions and publishing work making a steady and safe living.
 
Throughout his life he's had the desire to try his hand at as many things creative as possible at one point even working for a marble/stone mason company in London where he learned the trade of carving, designing and producing many pieces of bespoke items for clients in England, America, Ireland and Italy. Realizing that painting was his real passion, Mark returned to it and over the  years has been producing a series of paintings for exhibiting at a national and International level.

"I am not so influenced by other artists as enthused by them and that can be seen as my work is never any kind of pastiche, as I think I have my own individual style, striving for the 'new' and 'unseen'.
Artists I admire include Van Gogh, Francis Bacon, Norman Rockwell, Mick Karn (his sculptures as well as his music which I find creates many thought provoking landscapes and environments in the mind from which to work), also Pieter Breugel, Albrecht Durer, Hieronymus Bosch, Richard Dadd and most of the pre-Raphaelites.

I hope my art is viewed as a representation of the expression, time and effort I put in to creating all my pieces of art. Thank you"