It’s about to get (sur)real
It appears Christmas came early for me this year! Not only have I had the honor of receiving an Emerging Artist Grant from Creative Pinellas, but late last week I also learned I’ve been officially paired with the illustrious Steven Kenny as my artist mentor throughout the process.
In case you haven’t heard, Steven has made quite a name for himself as a leading painter in the Tampa Bay art scene over the past several years—with a formidable national and international presence, as well. A surrealist visionary of sorts—his work combines the human figure with elements of nature and dream symbolism, in a contemporary yet classical style that gives a nod to the Dutch Masters. A Creative Pinellas grantee himself, Kenny’s paintings are exhibited in galleries across the United States and Europe, and can be found in permanent collections like the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art and many private collections around the world. With success like that, I couldn’t have asked for a more fitting guide to help me elevate my game over this grant period.
Steven and I happen to share a few things in common—starting with our surrealist influences. We both embrace the elements of mystery and surprise, and the use of meaningful juxtaposition in our paintings. But while Steven delivers his vision in a classic Surrealism style somewhat akin to the work of Dali and Magritte, my work takes the Pop Art collage approach, pioneered by Rosenquist and Wesselmann. Steven and I also both originally hail from New York, where our formative careers were focused on more commercial enterprises—his in professional illustration, mine in creative art direction and design.
Needless to say, this feels like a very good match. I’m excited about the prospect of working with Steven, picking his brain, and benefiting from his experience over the next several months. It’s about to get real… surreal!
Learn more about Steven Kenny’s work here: www.stevenkenny.com
New year, new shows
I’m currently gearing-up to share my work in a couple of prime Tampa Bay venues early in the new year!
Watch for official announcements coming soon on the following shows.
TECO Public Art Gallery Presents:
Double Vision | The Conceptual Pop Art of Mark Mitchell
A Solo Exhibition Curated by Debra Radke
I’m happy to say my paintings will be featured in an upcoming solo exhibition at TECO Public Art Gallery,
located in the atrium lobby of TECO’s corporate offices in Tampa.
The two-month show will launch January 6th and feature twelve originals.
Stay tuned for details about the public reception and artist talk on 4th Friday, January 24th.
— ALSO COMING SOON —
The Cider Press Cafe Presents:
Looking Forward, A New Decade
A Group Exhibition Curated by Margaret Juul Ammann
This two-month show will launch at The Cider Press Cafe in St Pete on 2nd Saturday, January 11th
and feature three affordable large canvas prints of my pieces, each focusing on aspects of modern technology.
And finally, I wish you a wonderful, happy and safe holiday season, and all the best in 2020!
More news and updates on the way. I invite you to follow my progress on this blog, and at the links below.
Thanks,
Conceptual Pop Painter + Multimedia Artist
markmitchellstudio
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