We are united by our sense of place - Nature is our commonality.
My work is representational because of my desire to understand my surroundings . . . whatever form that may take.
Everything that sustains us comes from Nature. And I want to know how I fit in with Nature . . . what is my place in Nature?
To make sense of self is to make sense of what we see. What is our response to what we see?
I grew up on the prairies of Illinois and the farm lands of Indiana. As a child Nature is where I went when I felt bad. It was a place I yearned for, a place that gave me peace. It was a place where I could learn. I wanted to understand what I was seeing. I did that by drawing what I saw. My drawings then and now give me a reference for what I see and a reference point for my position in Nature.
I want to know what I see. My way of knowing is to draw and paint what we all see and share. It's how I communicate with Nature . . . it's vital for me. In our fragmented, isolating, technology driven American culture it is very easy to live in one's head not experiencing our environment in an intimate way. Hence I have become more connected to that flower, tree, bird, leaf, animal, insect . . . that's my reality. I want to know how a bird flies, what is that plant? How does that leaf grow? What color is a piece of wood? How does a squirrel run through a tree? How does water move? How does a shadow define an object? These are timeless questions I ask myself.
So I give the viewer an opportunity to ask those questions by looking at my work. I want my work to be restful, peaceful, cheerful. I want to understand all things. This technology centered culture separates us from our true and only source . . . Nature. It is something we all share and it something we all return to. There is no hidden meaning in my work. Nothing for the viewer to figure out. I am sharing what we all need. It is our shared attachment to this planet and the living things in it.
To me Art is not mere decoration. It is a testimony and documentation of what we all see in our lives. All this is contrary to the prevailing culture of mass consumerism, kitsch, isolation, technology and abstraction.
I make my work not only for myself but for all so that together we can celebrate Nature and our existence in it.
"Art knows how to bring Beauty's forms,
Almost imperceptibly making life full,
Composing impressions, Composing the days."
- C. Cavafy
Mark Steven Holland
born Asmara, Eritrea, East Africa
1953
Resumé
Exhibitions / Gallery Representation
2021 to present, Gallery artist, Grand Bohemian Gallery, Mansion on Forsyth Park, Savannah, GA 2020 Change, Everything Changes, curated exhibition, Upstairs Artspace, Tryon, NC (October-November) 2020 (February-March, Worker Bees: Artists of the Upstairs Group Exhibition, Upstairs Artspace, Tryon, NC 2020 Gallery Artist, the Grand Bohemian Gallery Celebration, Orlando, FL 2020 (May) The Grand Bohemian Gallery Asheville, solo exhibition 2020 (February) The Grand Bohemian Gallery Charleston, featured artist for SEWE Wildlife Exhibition 2019 to Present , Gallery Artist, Grand Bohemian Charleston, SC 2019 (May-June) Pop to Pattern, Group Exhibition, Upstairs Artspace, Tryon, NC 2019 (May-June) The Grand Bohemian Gallery Asheville, Solo Exhibition, Kessler Collection 2019 (August-September) Tryon Painters and Sculptures, solo show, Tryon, NC 2018 to Present Gallery Artist, The Grand Bohemian Gallery Asheville, NC 2018 to Present Gallery Artist, Artisans on Main, Weaverville, NC 2018 (July) Taylor Gallery, Asheville, NC 2018 (June, July, August, September) Doubletree Biltmore Village, Asheville, NC 2018 Perceptions and Reflections, Group Exhibition, Upstairs Artspace, Tryon, NC 2010-2017 Gallery Artist, Atelier Gallery, Charleston, SC 2013 Resident Artist, Heliker-LaHotan Foundation, Great Cranberry Island, ME 2010 Gallery 86, Haywood County Arts Council. Waynesville, NC 2009 Front Gallery; Asheville, Area Arts Council Group Show, Asheville, NC 2008-2016, Gallery Artist, 310 ART Gallery, Asheville, NC 2009 Magic Cart / Carnaval I, Solo Exhibition, 310 ART Gallery, Asheville, NC 2008 Architecture in Art; Solo Exhibition, Merrimon Galleries, Asheville, NC 2006 - 2007 Bella Vista Art Gallery, Asheville, NC 2006 Men on Paper; Solo Exhibition, Eros Gallery, San Francisco, CA 2005 Below the Volcano; Solo Exhibition, Ventana Gallery, Santa Fe, NM 2005 20 Jaguar; Invitational Art Exposition, Arte de Oaxaca Galeria, Oaxaca, Mexico 2004 Museum of New Mexico National Watercolor Exhibition; Juried; Fechin Museum, Taos, NM 2004 New Mexico / Mexico: A Mix of Many Cultures; Solo Exhibition, Santuario de Guadalupe, Santa Fe, NM 2003 Refugios Nortenos; Solo Exhibition, Santuario de Guadalupe, Santa Fe, NM 2003 Land of Enchantment, New Mexico Past and Present; Juried; Grant County Art Guild, Pinos Altos, NM 2003 Traditional Fine Art 2003; Juried, 2nd Place Award; Fuller Lodge, Los Alamos, NM 2002 Old and New Mexico; Solo Exhibition; Casa Vallejos, Nambe, NM1991 International Erotic Art Show; Juried; New World Gallery, San Francisco, CA |
Public Collections
New Mexican Newspaper, Santa Fe, NM Bob Jones University Art Gallery Permanent Collection; Greenville, SC Casa Bendiga Cultural Center; Taxco, Mexico Tupelo Honey Restaurant; Asheville, NC Houser Shoes; Asheville, NC Newman Center, University of Arizona, Tuscan, AZ Church of John the Baptist; Pueblo of San Juan, San Juan, NM Basilica Cathedral of Santa Fe, Santa Fe, NM Set Design Humanergy; Choreography by Anthony Gongora, Set Design by Mark S Holland; George Washington University, Washington, DC 2008 |