Mark Venaglia

With all due respect to his mother, Whistler's 'Nocturnes' propelled me into a visual synthesis of scientific exploration and representational painting. Attempting to define God, a multitude of explanations currently exist. I rely upon the act of painting as a means to further my own understanding. Wayne Thiebaud writes: 'We've only begun to scratch the surface of what painting can do.' If I had another one hundred years in which to continually create, I feel I would never get to explore all the new directions that Realism is calling to take it in. I feel very fortunate that, within my own lifetime, my work is acknowledged and comprehended by a wide variety of critics and collectors. This recognition provides me with the freedom to continue growing as an artist. I paint to further my respect and admiration for the magnificent artists who came before me. To revel in the sensual, meticulous work of Ernest Hackle and see it come to life more than half a century later in Disney's 'Fantasia' is the creative lineage I am a part of. Georgia O'Keeffe and Vincent VanGogh are the obvious inspirations. I am just as profoundly influenced by Agnes Pelton and Charles Burchfield. Janet Fish is an absolute revelation for me. I find her use of oil ...

Grants and Fellowships:2010 African Americans in National Parks2009 Environmental Enhancement and Mitigation Program2009 Innovative Urban Forestry MFA Art History Carnegie-Mellon UniversityBFA Painting Carnegie-Mellon UniversitySelected Solo ExhibitionsBotaniscapes - San Marino Gallery, CA 2006 RePresenting Representation Bernard Arnstein Fine Art- Chelsea Arts District, NY 2006 Earth, Sea & Sky Bergamot Station Arts Center- Santa Monica, CA 2005 "In the Hands of Nature III" Judy Hornby Gallery- New Preston, CT 2005"Fleur de la Nuit" Judy Hornby Gallery- Avignon, France 2004"Botaniscapes" Elizabeth Eisenhauer Fine Art- Chicago, IL 2003"In the Hands of Nature II" Judy Hornby Gallery- New Preston, CT 2002"Neo Trompe L'oeil II" Elizabeth Eisenhauer Fine Art- Chicago, IL 2002California"Neo Trompe L'oeil" The Robert Berman Gallery, Santa Monica 2001"Flora" City of Hope, Ernst Liebman Gallery 2001"Segment of the Vista" Wolfryd-Selway Fine Art, Beverly Hills 2001"Ferrotype Organica"" ACME Fine Art, San Francisco 2000"World Icons" Gensler Architects, Santa Monica 1999"Opulent Splendors" Ruben Postaer & Associates, Santa Monica 1999"National Wildlife Fund" Museum of Natural History, Santa Barbara 1998"Starved for Beauty?" Wolfryd-Sel...