Mark Leamon talks with the world through paint
Some of the most interesting and ruggedly original paintings coming out of Chattanooga are being made on Signal Mountain by Mark Leamon. His art can be described as a mix of Pop Art, Surrealism, Expressionism, and Dada, but from this mix emerges a brilliantly eclectic style that is truly one-of-a-kind. He lives with his art, sees it every day, and puts an incredible amount of thought into each piece; as if each were a chess move that he had thoroughly contemplated.
Throughout his life, Mark has always seen art as a means to communicate. “I really cannot remember a time without drawing and painting; I have always made art. My mom wouldn’t let us watch much television at all—but she’d give us paper and provide materials to draw with. Then, growing up, the drawings turned into paintings.”
In the early ‘90s, Mark lived in New Orleans, and it was there that he started to show his work. He exhibited at cafes, restaurants, galleries, and anywhere else where he could find wall space. In 2001, he bought a house on Signal Mountain, and since then he has been living there and working on his art.
Mark’s paintings represent a dialogue that he is having with the world. “My art is a product of my exposure to pop culture and what that means to me. I have paid homage to certain films, books, comics, and TV shows because they changed or helped to shape my perspective of the world. Many artists from history continue to influence me as well. For three years, I worked and studied in Germany, and there I was drawn to the expressionists—Munch, Schiele, Duchamp, and many more.”
He makes no apologies about his choices of subject matter, saying “I can’t help but make art—I’m gonna make art whether I get paid for it or not. Art is subjective; I selfishly keep to what’s important to me and ignore the trends. Fortunately, my subjects strike chords with others, or I would not be able to market the work. Art is for everybody, but the individual must choose to see it.”
Mark keeps multiple sketchbooks and journals. He explains, “Drawing is an inexpensive way for me to explore an idea. Strong drawings hopefully lead to strong paintings. Painting affords us the ability to explore—I think that is one of the greatest things that we have as artists. It might not be the ultimate search for truth, but we uncover things. Some pieces can be personal, but are still part of my art.”
Recently he has begun to incorporate assemblage into his work. One series of new paintings deals with toy soldiers, so he has painted and affixed the toys to his canvasses. “I like the repetition of the toy soldiers. What is the value of a soldier’s life? We used to get 100 soldiers for a dollar fifty, out of the back of a comic book. Of course I’m talking about toy soldiers, but the commentary is still there—we treat soldiers in real life like they’re almost as expendable, so I call that into question.”
Mark likes to keep multiple projects going at once. Driven by his interests, he has explored everything in his life with art, even his love of chess. “To get better at the game, I started making lots of drawings about games. There is a language for chess, a unique notation - you either know it or you don’t. One fundamental lesson of chess is, whoever controls the center, controls the game, whether directly or from afar. That interests me, because paintings normally have an emphasis, though it may not be in the center. There’s an art to chess, it’s a science—there are a lot of absolutes, but at the same time you can be very creative.”
His interest in typography caused him to create a stencil alphabet, along with other stencils that punctuate his visual vocabulary. Much of his work has references to popular culture that he uses to make social commentary. “I hate that companies put copyrights on things, after they have asked us to digest them and make them a part of our world. This is why re-appropriation and collage are key factors in my process. I enjoy visually taking things out of context and seeing them in a new way.”
Visits to Mark’s studio on Signal Mountain can be scheduled Mon-Sat at 423-314 5392. There is an exhibition of his work at Lupi’s downtown Chattanooga, and you can find his work online on Facebook.