Mark Grieves

Newcastle upon Tyne born, Mark Grieves admits he would struggle to find work other than painting. He says If I hadnt have had a talent for painting and drawing I would dread to think what I would have ended up doing as a career. The beauty of creating images that normally wouldnt exist in real life is what art means to me. Whenever I see photorealistic paintings it fills me with sadness.

His method of working is different from the traditional approach. Normally artist would work from light to dark but he finds it natural to work in reverse from dark to light. Working exclusively in oils, Mark Grieves always starts with a completely black canvas and add highlights until he finds the balance in contrast. Mark Grieves works hard at composition... Read More

Newcastle upon Tyne born, Mark Grieves admits he would struggle to find work other than painting. He says If I hadnt have had a talent for painting and drawing I would dread to think what I would have ended up doing as a career. The beauty of creating images that normally wouldnt exist in real life is what art means to me. Whenever I see photorealistic paintings it fills me with sadness.

His method of working is different from the traditional approach. Normally artist would work from light to dark but he finds it natural to work in reverse from dark to light. Working exclusively in oils, Mark Grieves always starts with a completely black canvas and add highlights until he finds the balance in contrast. Mark Grieves works hard at composition and at the geometry emphasising light and shadow. He also likes titles to give clues: there is always a strong sense of narrative. 

Every original painting is time consuming and can take several weeks to complete.

Mark Grieves' hugely successful musical series was a complete sell-out with his former publishers and his originals and limited editions often sold within a few days of issue. Due to the painstaking attention to detail, original paintings are in short supply leading to a high demand.