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12/20/2008 Archived Entry: "Mark Evans: Artist & Director"
That tiny etched patch on the leather jacket suddenly opened up a whole new world of possibilities.I then spent the next few years locked away in my studio living as part artist & part mad-scientist - trying to perfect the technique I'd discovered.
Jill: What is your background?
Mark: I grew up on a small farm in the mountains of North Wales and spent my boyhood carving wood and bark with knives.
My granddad gave me my first penknife when I was 7, I didn't then realise that small gift would form such a fundamental part of my destiny.
Jill: The pictures of boxing are vivid. Is it just for the art or are you also an enthusiast?
Mark: Like many boys I grew up with a dad who loved boxing. We would stay up together late into the night to watch Mike Tyson, Frank Bruno or Barry McGuigan battle it out.
I like any sporting activity where genuine courage is involved and someone has to put them-self to the test, like JFK said & put themselves in the 'arena'.
I guess it takes guts & grit to become anything beyond ordinary. Modern life is so sterile, so tame, and so modular.
Millions of men in the Western world live out mundane, 9-5 existences and yet something deep in the heart of a man longs for a battle to fight... or a cause worth fighting for.
The book & movie Fight Club touches on this.
Boxing is an old sport, man against man, so yeah I'm somewhat of an enthusiast.
Jill: What's the process?
Mark: I work with very special waxes, dozens of different types of knives & scalpels. It takes incredible patience and immense attention to detail.
I remove less than a tenth of a millimeter of the leather surface, just enough until I expose the suede (or nap) beneath. It's micro-sculpture.
Mark Evans
Jill: Who are your mentors?
Mark: I've got to be honest, I wish I had mentors. I've always wanted that older, seasoned artist or wise voice to guide and inspire me - but life has not taken me that way.
I've had to find answers alone, pushing boundaries, looking for solutions by blood, sweat, prayer & tears.
It's only now when I've experienced a very small measure of success that I seem to have found some mentors which I'm very grateful for.
Jill: Your work takes a long time. What keeps you turned on?
Mark: The work is therapeutic for me. I keep focused because I have a deep need to produce & make real the image I have formed in mind's eye.
This goal keeps me focused. The key is to try & not let the busyness and chaos of life distract me from this goal.
More and more it's about switching off the Blackberry and drowning out the noise.
When I get involved in a piece I'm absorbed for hours without realizing where the day's gone.
Jill: Do you have any showings in the near future?
Mark: I'm working on ideas for a few shows in the near future, and who knows, maybe one in Los Angeles or New York, we'll keep you posted.
Jill: I know you do original work to order. What's the most unusual request you've gotten? The most satisfying?
The most unusual are probably bedroom pieces, men wanting large, sensual images that no-one but them are allowed to see.
The most satisfying was a commission loosely based on the Pamplona Bull run. The piece was entitled Tres Torros, and depicted the raging power of three bulls charging.
The raw energy of muscle, sinew and flank was incredible. This is my favourite commission to date.
Jill: Life away outside your work?
Mark: I'm a father of 2 girls, so they occupy a lot of my free time.
I'm also learning the craft of screenwriting. I'm working with some incredible people on a couple of feature films.
Jill: How would you like to be remembered?
Mark: I think if we're honest with ourselves we all want to change the world in some way, leave a mark or an impression... I'm no different.
I think the role of an artist (whatever medium they work in) is to be a voice, someone who speaks the truth, inspires, confronts or distills life to clarify it.
In many ways I've not had the opportunity to work in this way as many of my pieces are commissions, but this is a role I'm keen to develop, whether in film or in leather.
To find out more about Mark Evans’ work:
