Art & Life with Mark Zimmermann

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark Zimmermann.

Mark, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I have no formal art “education,” in the academic sense. I do recall drawing rather obsessively as a child, though having not been turned onto abstraction, I didn’t really see what I was doing as “art.” I was actually more engaged by my figurative cartoons… when I moved to NYC in the late 80’s, I was committed to pursuing a literary career. I published a good amount of poetry & short fiction & made my first forays into “discussions,” ie, essays & reviews of art. Essentially, for good or ill, I educated myself in public… fast forward a few years & my downstairs neighbor gave me a box of old oil paints & I was now a painter… I never looked back.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
For several years my work has been a metaphorical reaction to my interests in history, architecture, nature, literature & landscape. My hope has always been to bring a sense of timeless energy to my art. In the last two years, my work has taken on particular material quality, as I began experimenting with metallic & pearlescent paints. These experimentations brought me into a new, very conscious relationship with light. With studios on both coasts, I’ve always been very sensitive to the nuance of light between both environments, but for years it had more to do with color- I’m now attempting to tighten that relationship, working predominately with a palette of various “white” pigments, along with the Metallics & pearlescents…

In your view, what is the biggest issue artists have to deal with?
As always, the biggest challenge facing an artist is probably economic. The adventure of art, the beautiful pursuit of art, is not cheap & at the professional level, not for the faint of heart…

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I’m represented by Lyons Wier Gallery in NYC & have worked with Soho Myriad, in Atlanta for well over a decade. I will have new work exhibited at Lyons Wier Gallery through November in a group show, “MIA in Mia” & will be included in a curatorial project by artist, James Little, in 2019 at the New York Art Students League.

I’m also active on social media, via Facebook & Instagram…

Contact Info:

• Website: www.markzimmermann.net
• Instagram: @markzimmermannstudio
• Facebook: Mark Zimmermann
• Twitter: @markzimm67

Image Credit:
Photo of Mark Zimmermann:
Deanne Shashoua

Art:
PJ Valentini

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