Biographical Notes
Mark Vickers was born in UK. As a teenager, he was primarily interested in two things: art and religion. However, persuaded by his father, Mark entered a career as a British army officer.
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Mark lived in UK, Hong Kong, Germany, Albania, Nepal, and now resides in Taiwan. He has spent other time in numerous other countries, including India where he once owned an apartment.
Mark resumed painting with a vengeance during his final three years of military service, in Nepal, and held his first solo exhibition at "Park Gallery" - the oldest gallery in Nepal, in 2011.
In 2012 he took early retirement, predominantly so that he may pursue his two passions of art and the study and practice of his religion.
About his Work
Mark's art is very much influenced by places he has lived, especially Albania, Nepal, and Taiwan, and places where he spent time more than just brief holidays, such as India and China. Because of his experience living in, and embracing, different cultures and traditions, he feels unrestricted by time, place, local expectations, or politics, and strives for his own unique style which can cross borders of geography, culture, and history.
Mark has stated that he has little time for those who expect a certain style simply because that is the current trend, talked up to be intellectually superior, yet lacking in any true artistic talent. Mark believes that good art should be timeless, and based on a solid foundation. "A good piece of art, whilst it may depict something specific to time and place, should still be relevant as a painting in a hundred years time".
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He works predominantly in oil or acrylic paint, but occasionally also works in watercolour or pastel. Whatever the medium he chooses to use, or whatever the subject matter might be, Mark explores his inner feelings in his work, often combining his spiritual practice with his painting. However, whilst he sometimes displays a brief explanation next to his paintings, he prefers to do no more than allude to, and hint at, his own feelings and motivation, and listen to what the viewer understands from his work.
Mark strives to create what he calls a "vibration" in his paintings and considers it a success if it "speaks" to the viewer, and if the viewer continues to enjoy looking at it repeatedly, returning again and again, whatever the subject matter might be, and still feeling something special.