By Rebecca Pikus
Dara Mark’s exquisite Watercolors almost defy description. Unlike pastoral landscapes, or soft portraits, or floral arrangements — which are the stereotypical subjects for watercolors — she takes an entirely different tangent & approach in her Art. Mark, who now resides in New Mexico, originally received her B.A. from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut and her M.F.A. from the University of California at Santa Barbara. In recent years, she has had numerous Exhibitions in Santa Fe, N.M. and Taos, N.M.
Viewing her work in person, it becomes apparent that it is indeed hard to describe. In her own words:
“Order and surprise motivate my work in equal measure. Once I have painted a grid of orderly repeated shapes on synthetic paper, the flow of paint settles according to its intrinsic properties. Each pigment I use has its own way of moving and settling, which is inherent but not predictable. When the paint dries, the paper is layered into a composition.
By allowing natural chaos into the work I am continually surprised by the result. The painting becomes a meditative collaboration between me and my materials. Often suggesting biology, geology or landscape, the paintings are named for Greek water nymphs, those gentle beings that embodied the healing powers of rivers and streams, or for local New Mexico landscape features, or for my daily practice of Taoist chi gong (energy work). My chi gong practice consists of a few specified postures followed by simply allowing the body to move, very much like my painting practice. It is effective at the physical, mental and spiritual levels.”
Dara Mark – Current Exhibition “Visually Speaking: Color & Light” – Guest Curator: Joe Novak — through December 31, 2016 at Rebecca Fine Art Gallery, 68895 Perez Rd, #7, Cathedral City, Ca (760) 534-5888 — see Dara Mark’s work on Fineartvortex.com & Artsy.net – Gallery Hours: WED.-SAT. 11am-4pm, or By Appointment
