Mark Weatherbe

I work from a place of playful spontaneity making objects whole formed in a single go based mostly around the circular dialog that exists between the viewer and the viewed. This process is largely unplanned and is as much a mystery to me as anyone. My life and art making are two aspects of a single thing wherein I make a deal with myself: when I feel the urge I drop what I’m doing and go make things. Sometimes this is inconvenient for people around me. I’m okay with that.

Because of this oddball set of priorities I find myself making things in unconventional places and often out of normal hours. And, because of my life as art as life thing, I sometimes appear strange to those I’m not well acquainted with: like I might ask a grandmother in a Mexican grocery store in East L.A. if she thinks chrome is more powerful than sadness. Her answer might swerve my boat and then things get interesting: they get funny.

Funny is very important to me. If I’m not laughing at stuff then I drop it: life is way too short. Sad things are funny: World War II was an absolute riot and the next one will be even better.

I am agnostic about materials and techniques. I am as happy painting with marble or sculpting with oil paint as I am with making a...

From 1977 to '78 I attended drawing and painting classes at Santa Rosa Junior College.

I then went to Diablo Valley College for '79 and '80 where I did all my general education along with sculpture, ceramics, painting and drawing

In 1982 I got a BFA in Sculpture, Painting, and Video from California College of Arts & Crafts.

In 1998 I studied film directing and editing at UCLA.

I have participated in various group shows in and around the San Francisco bay area, including the East Bay Studio Tour, where I exhibited The Acetalcolenesterace Crucifix and Eat Your Art Out, the venue for Jesus H. Christ On A Cross With Two Other Chickens. In 2007 my Suicide Chair installation was a big hit at the Solids exhibition in Los Angeles. In 2010 my painting A Grand Day Out was featured as the greeter at Gallery Expo for their show, Cars, in Long Beach CA. I showed at several of their subsequent events and later showed some of my large paintings at the nearby Jones Gallery. I have also shown in Leysan Switzerland and at my gallery in Provençe. I have been collected privately in California, Switzerland, France Turkey and England.

SHOWS

Eat Your Art Out, San Francisco, CA. 1982
East Bay Studio Tour, Oakland, CA 1984
Group Show, Leysan, Switzerland 1986
Recent Figures, Polebrook Gallery, UK 1989
One Man Show, Mollans, France 1996
Altair Gallery 1999
New Painting. London, UK 2004
27th St. Space, Venice, CA 2007
Solids, Los Angeles, CA 2007
The New Work, London, UK 2010
Cars, Long Beach, CA 2010
Elements, London, UK 2010
Erotic Ad...