Check out Mark Greenawalt’s Artwork

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

Mark, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I loved to draw superheroes when I was a kid. My mom would often take me to the used bookstore and treat me to a short stack of comic books. I’d spend hours escaping into these fantasy worlds. Drawing each of the characters was my way of connecting with them. As an adolescent, the natural progression was my discovery of fantasy illustration on book covers and the mystical worlds of Dungeons & Dragons. I was inspired to become a better artist so that I could paint the barbarians slaying monsters, but of course, it may have been the scantily clad damsels in distress that fueled my passion for art. I took private art lessons to learn the fundamentals of shading, perspective, and color theory with oil painting. I’ve stayed connected with creating artwork since then, and it’s been great to see the superhero and fantasy genres grow even more popular than when I was a kid.

We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
My artwork has taken on many forms throughout the years including digital illustration and traditional painting, photography, and special effects makeup that lead me to the wildly popular art form of bodypainting. I’ve always wanted my art to connect with people and ultimately inspire them to create their own artwork. I was inspired by so many artists such as Boris Vallejo, Frank Frazetta, Michael Whelan, and Julie Bell. Their work, and so many others, really move me…still. My hope is that my work may someday move others. Much of my art, especially the bodypainting, treads a fine line between socially accepted fine art and the so-called “not safe for work” variety. I like the taboo nature of nudity and images that balance sexiness with innocent beauty. It’s not for everyone, but I hope to find my audience and stay true to creating art that moves me.

Have things improved for artists? What should cities do to empower artists?
The internet has allowed artists to reach fans from around the globe and there are so many ways now to join groups of people with similar passions. In that way, I think conditions are phenomenal. The problem seems to me that since everyone has been given this same ability, the markets get over saturated and it becomes harder to wade through the stuff you don’t like to find the hidden gems. It seems to me that there are thousands of potential customers out there, but it is an effort to find them and keep them as fans. The internet has helped a lot, but selling art and doing commissions are best done by getting out and meeting people face to face. I really like the model presented by Patreon where people can “tip” their favorite artists to help support them. It’s more like a membership program than crowdfunding. It’s a great way to donate in small amounts to artists producing work that resonates with you that can add up to enough financial support for an artist to thrive at what they love to do.

Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
I’ve had the website MarkGreenawalt.com for nearly two decades, and I have been maintaining it myself as often as I can. It is my online portfolio of all of the various passions that I have pursued including songwriting, filmmaking, and lighting design in addition to the art and photography sections. I assembled a book of my bodypainting art called Coats of Paint, and I have prints and originals on sale on the site. I have a basic Patreon account set up for anyone interested in supporting my work that I continue to share on social media and at live events such as art gallery shows and comic conventions.

Contact Info:

• Website: MarkGreenawalt.com
• Email: mark@MarkGreenawalt.com
• Instagram: @mark.greenawalt
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mark.greenawalt.10
• Twitter: @MarkGreenawalt
• Other: https://www.patreon.com/MarkGreenawalt

Image Credit:
All images copyrighted and produced by Mark Greenawalt (except silver model, Photo by Brad Garner)

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