About the Artist

         Mark grew up around visual art in Richmond, Indiana, where visits to the Richmond Art Museum and visits to members of the Richmond Group inspired his artistic foundation.   His father was a doctor who cared for many of the Richmond artists.  They sometimes paid him with art work and his father began collecting art of both the Richmond Group and the Brown County art colony.   Mark would go with his father on house calls to the artists' studios, and remembers vividly the studio of Orrin Draver and the smell of oils and the beauty of his canvases.    Later in life he also began collecting art from Indiana artists and attending plein air paint outs around the state in the late 1990's.   

          Mark began painting seriously after retiring from a career in education (English teacher, principal and superintendent).   While attending paint outs around Indiana, Mark became friends with many of the artists, and these friendships have helped him with his progression.   He began attending art classes at the Southside Art League, and took classes from Donna Shortt, Roy Boswell, and Mary Ann Davis.   In 2021 during Covid, Mark took online classes from Carol Strock Wasson  (primarily pastels).  Mark credits them for teaching him the basics of design, value and color.    He considers Corrine Hull an important  mentor, as both of them share similar childhood memories  of growing up around art in Richmond, and now serving together as board members and artists on the Southside Art League, in Greenwood, Indiana.  He majored in history at DePauw University and has advanced degrees from Butler University and Ball State University.

          Mark works in both pastels and oils and loves to paint outdoors, or en plein air.   He is an active member of IPAPA, an Indiana plein association that sponsors many painting activities throughout the year.   Mark loves architecture and the feeling he gets from buildings  and how they relate to  the landscape.  His painting style is in the range of impressionism to post-impressionism, but sees his work more in the "Colorist" tradition.  He follows the work of colorist artist Camille Prezwodek , and loves her use of color planes and and temperature contrasts.  He also likes the brush work and palette of Brown County artist Will Vawter.  His favorite place to paint is the T.C. Steele house or "House of the Singing Winds,"  and parks and buildings in Franklin, Indiana, which is close to home in Bargersville.  Other favorite places are the Indiana Dunes, Richmond's parks and historic districts and Franklin County.  Mark credits many Indiana artists for their inspiration and  friendship: Dan Woodson, Mary Ann Davis, Corrine Hull, Carol Strock Wasson, Ron Mack, David Seward, Donna Shortt and Roy Boswell.  All have been supportive tutors.  

          Mark has exhibited at both juried events and open shows (Art for the Ages, Southside Art League Annual Show, Hancock County Will Vawter Annual Juried Show, Hamilton County Artists' Association Midwest Juried Show, Richmond Art Museum's Annual Show, First Blush of Spring in New Harmony, IN,  Hoosier Salon Annual Show, Indiana Heritage Arts Annual Show (2023, 2024, 2025, 2026), Fort Wayne's Kekionga Paint Out and Carmel on Canvas.   He has received awards at most of these shows, but mainly enjoys the experience of painting and achieving that feeling of accomplishment.   Recent awards include Minnetrista Museum Annual Show (2025), Carmel on Canvas (2021, 2022, 2023), Southside Art League Annual Show (Best of Show 2023) and Hoosier Salon in New Harmony (2021), T.C. Steele Paint out (2022 and 2023) and Kekionga Paint out (2022, 2023 Top Award).  In 2020, he joined some of Indiana's best artists in painting historic structures around the state in a project called Historic Indiana en Plein Air, with the exhibition traveling to major art galleries around Indiana in 2021.  A companion book may be purchased at the Indiana State Museum and historic sites.   In November of 2023, Mark had a show with his sister, Melanie Millis Wissel  at the Southside Art League, Close to Home, which featured landscapes from around the state of Indiana.  His painting of Selma Steele's garden, was purchased by the State Museum, T.C. Steele Historic site to reside at their visitor's center (2024).  

Juried Shows and Exhibitions:

• Indiana Heritage Arts Annual Show, Brown County, IN
• Minnetrista Museum Annual Show, Muncie Indiana
• Minnetrista Open Open Space Exhibition
• Hoosier Salon Annual Show, Indianapolis, IN
• Richmond Art Museum Annual Show, Richmond, IN
• Hamilton County Midwest National Exhibition, Noblesville, IN
• Chicago Pastel Painters Biennial National Pastel Show and Annual Show, Chicago, IL
• Will Vawter Show, Greenfield, IN