Mark Powell is an artist born in Leeds, West Yorkshire. He graduated from the University of Huddersfield in 2006. Since graduating he has had exhibitions across the United Kingdom, the United States and Europe. Mark uses nothing but a simple Bic Biro ballpoint pen to create incredibly detailed portraits, attempting to capture what his statement calls “a certain beauty that is a step away from the image of beauty fed to society.” His chosen canvases are antique documents dating from 1763. His aim is to portray what can be produced with the most basic tool whilst creating a relationship between the canvas and image. Both the canvas he uses and the faces he draws offer a mysterious story. They carry the scars of travel, a life lived. Most of his portraits are of the elderly maybe because the older faces connect better with the documents. They both have that history and sense of journey. Some of his work incorporates birds, representing freedom and a flight path.
