"I find the less I am tied to my references, the more willing I am to dive in and let the idea develop on canvas."
Mark Horton, a native of Saginaw, Michigan, was raised in Minneapolis. Mark received his law degree at the University of Minnesota in 1979. He began taking studio art classes at the University while practicing law and in 1982 Horton quit his legal practice to paint full time. He and his wife, Barb, lived in Europe for five years studying art and painting as they traveled. They returned to the United States in 1989 and now live in St. Louis, MO. Major commissions include work for Securian, the Midwest Express Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the Minnesota Department of Transportation, and the Dakota County Historical Society.
Artist Statement:
Most of my paintings begin with a thumbnail sketch from my imagination. Some sketches are based on a place I have visited. Then, I play fast and loose with the facts. This enables me to go to the canvas with some knowledge of what I am after without restrictions. I find the less I am tied to my references, the more willing I am to dive in and let the idea develop on canvas.