Mark is a Pacific Northwest artist who grew up in Tumwater, Washington. He began photographing in earnest after arriving in Seattle in 1993, where he currently resides.  At the end of 2002, he committed to photography as a profession and began showing work in the Seattle area.  He is affiliated with Gallery110 Collective in Seattle. Creatively, he channels his skills toward the composition and discovery of unusual macro/standard photographs. In the process of creating his own stylistic and aesthetic identity.

My experience as a research scientist in the biotech industry and at the University of Washington has reacted synergistically with photography because of my familiarity with tools that play a large role in my creative process.  In addition, my science experience has undoubtedly influenced my approach to solving photographic problems.  However, my experience does not entirely affect the product; the results are generally not “scientific” in nature, aside from the fact that they often document alien and novel perspectives, something common to scientific discovery. In addition, unlike many “scientist-gone-artist” photographers, my techniques are not derived strictly from the laboratory, i.e., electron microscopy, transmitted light microscopy, polarized light, fluorescence.  Instead, I choose to use reflected light, combined with macro lenses and extenders, and occasionally a stereo microscope.  The photographs exploit abstractions and optical idiosyncrasies of details typically unavailable to ordinary eye-sight.  Many of my photographs are taken from mixed-media compositions derived from manipulations of organic and synthetic materials, and found objects.  I achieve the highest quality in my photographic process through a marriage of classical 35mm films and various digital printmaking techniques.

I am motivated primarily by curiosity.  Each composition or subject contains structural and textural richness that is not easily accessible from our human size scale.  The photographs help characterize a visual boundary that exists beyond what we can see with the naked eye; abstractions and designs that exist, unseen, at everyones fingertips. It is this contact with the boundary of perception that reveals the amazing beauty of base structure.  Within this boundary, which can seem as large as the vast emptiness of space, I gratuitously seek design and iconography.  The dark and vibrant beauty of a parallel universe is revealed. Some of the photographic subjects are obvious....others are whatever you think they are. To me, the photographic subject is not really important.....although you might be surprised at what the subjects are. The whole process, from composition of the subject to print, is continually interesting and challenging and gives me a better understanding of materials and my perceived surroundings.