Born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1952, painter Mark Travis received extensive arts training at the Interlochen Arts Academy, Cooper School of Art and the acclaimed Cleveland Institute of Art. He received a B.F.A. at the Columbus College of Art & Design and ultimately earned his M.F.A. at Ohio University. Travis has been a long-established and respected artist in the Denver Area. In recent years he has shown infrequently in area galleries and we are very honored to present his work at Studio Aiello.

In discussing his work, Travis explains, “I do not care if I am painting a dog, a human or an inanimate machine. It is not about figurative or non-representational issues.” For Travis, it is all about finding something to “hang the paint on”. Although he has worked in bold colors for much of his career, this new work represents a departure. Fearing his color was becoming repetitive, Travis began to explore his palette by interpreting hue, luminosity and shade as tonal values. The contrast of tonal value is key to our perception and determines how our vision perceives shapes and objects. Color is irrelevant. Travis begins his work with black and white, dismissing color and interpreting form and gesture as tone. His resulting canvases are seductive, mysterious and dramatic.

Although experimenting with his color process, Travis’s recent work does mark a return to the canvas. Previously, he produced multi-paneled images which explored the 3-dimensional. With his recent work, he returns to the honesty of the canvas. For Travis, the meaning occurs in the act of painting. As he vividly explains, “Ideas fuel intellectual mumbo-jumbo, but gumbo tastes better, makes you feel good - as does painting. It is not about talking. The food gets cold.” Travis believes “intention” is overrated. The artist feels the way his work interacts with the viewer is simply far more important. In his words, “We don’t get hot and bothered about breathing, we just do it. So if you have this great need for meaning and/or a story, use your own eyes and intuition. They got you here in the first place.”

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