Mark Polland

I work in a wide range of media, including painting, sculpture, and photography, but for the past 30 years the bulk of my work has been on a series of small, 8" x 10" collages. The works are abstract, but they include diverse references to things that attract my attention, like plants and animals, cities and architecture, and modern art. I have a deep affinity for the ocean and sea life. Fish and coral imagery come up regularly. I also love travel and maps. Many of the collages include pieces of maps. I see the artwork itself as a map, not of the physical world but of the history and process of its own creation.

I usually start by drawing or painting on paper. I often repeat the marks I've already made. The variations that emerge through repeated drawing create a sensibility, or style, that is unique to my own hand, like a signature. It's important to me to incorporate drawing into my work. It records a direct expression from my own body. It shows where my hand was and how it moved when it was being made. Seeing the artist's hand at work in a finished piece infuses the work with a sense of intimacy and makes it a more personal experience.

Often I deconstruct what I have made by ripping, cutting and tearing it apart, and the...

University of California, Berkeley, B.A. 1985, Fine Art
California State University, Northridge, M.A. 1987, Art
Claremont Graduate University, M.F.A. 1990, Painting
Claremont Graduate University, Ph.D. Education/Linguistics, 1995