Blue Ridge Girl Painting

Mark identifies as a symbolist. Classified over his 40-year career under many different categories, including “folk artist”, “outsider artist” and “visionary artist”, self-taught Mark Casey Milestone has never adhered for very long to any label applied to him and never wanted to fit into a particular category of artist. “Art chose me; I didn’t choose art.” As long as he can remember, he knew he was destined to be an artist and has created art in many forms and formats for most of his life--sculpture, whirligigs, machines, music, writing, watercolors, sketches, oils. Over time, Mark’s medium of choice has become oil on either wood panel or canvas. With local, regional, national and international shows, and a feature in The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture: Folk Art (Volume 23; 2013: University of North Carolina Press), one can trace the evolution of his art along with the evolution of his life. Every piece of work represents a new journey, a new step, a new adventure for Mark. His Artist's Statement: My artwork represents what I have done since I was a small child — making things. That has always allowed me to be happy, even during a childhood that I know now was a bit spotty. When I was about five, I remember helping my grandfather rake freshly mowed grass. He gave me a nickel for my efforts. I was allowed to walk to the country store, about a block away, to buy candy. On my way home, I was so happy with my little bag of candy and with how blue the sky was and how the grass was light green. Life seemed mysterious and beautiful. I don't know quite how to describe it, but it is as if the Earth and sky dropped down inside my soul. I noted how totally happy I was, and thought to myself how important it was to remember this particular time for the rest of my life. I think that I came home a slightly different person from when I left. About a year later, we moved into a house which I immediately explored. In the basement, I found an old paint-by-number set. It was the deluxe set! With a whole flock of ducks! The surface was warped and moldy. I found a piece of plywood about my height. With the brushes and oils from the paint set, I painted my first life-sized farmer. I remember he was barefoot. All my farmers were barefoot with the green grass growing over their feet. I remember the brushes being fairly small; my painting was fairly large. It took me a long time.