MARK TIMMIS
My work derives from making landscape paintings. My mentor was a professor of mine named George McCullough. Sure I had other mentors as well, but I really identified with George. I also had a cohort of students like me that would hang with George and do Plein Aire painting. And while I love Plein Aire I do not do that very often any longer.
One of the things that Plein Aire taught me is that I never knew what the end product would look like. Of course I knew what I was looking at, but as I produced paintings I loved the fact that no two paintings looked much like the other. That said, it was pretty easy to pick my paintings out of a lineup.
While my work has evolved dramatically over time, that idea of me NOT starting with the end in mind, but the work all looking like it came from my hand has stayed pretty true.
I respect painters that can do a series of work that intrinsically works through a basic concept, however, that was never real comfortable for me. While in art art school I followed that concept, but by the time I graduated with my MFA that started to fall away.
I took an elongated hiatus from painting to pursue a career in IT. When I returned to making art I really came back to feed by muse by whatever turned my head.
My first piece coming back into that was somewhat of a copy of a Robert Motherwell, and it felt amazing. As hard as those are to do, to not make them look like flowed like lava. And felt as powerful That led me to go back and try to recreate, or newly create some landscape drawings in graphite. Those ended up being powerful and complex works.
The indulgence of being in the studio and doing what you want is so precious.
What I love…working freely, never thinking of the outcome. Working and interacting with the painting as it’s own entity. Letting the painting evolve on its own. That is very challenging, because you run into periods in time where you are not always sure where you are going.
There is NO MAP.
The path reveals itself along the way.
When I look at these works, it reflects what I said earlier. My works are all over the place stylistically, but the work hangs together very well. They all look like they are created by my hand.
I love that continuity of the way the work hangs together.
These paintings are various sizes, and many are primarily acrylic paint, but also some multimedia as well.
Link to Mark Timmis’ Color Paintings
This work is either India Ink on Paper or Canvas, or Acrylic Paint on Canvas.
Link to Mark Timmis’ Black and White Paintings
Most of these works are small, and many can be rearranged…by the user…intentionally. Most of these are framed as well.
Link to Mark Timmis’ Color Paintings – with multi canvases
Landscape drawing on paper, almost all are primarily graphite, and mixed media on paper.
Link to Mark Timmis’ Landscape Drawings
Most of the Drawings are graphite on paper, but they are also multimedia.
Landscape paintings are my roots. While I may not currently do a lot of landscape paintings now, they are my go to. There is nothing better than going outside in the summer with a bit of gear and diving in…Plein Aire painting is wonderful.
Link to Mark Timmis’ Landscape Paintings
Work that is in process NOW!
Link to Mark Timmis’ latest, and greatest work.