Bio: Mark’s art career started in comics books, graphic design, and illustration for tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons and Magic the Gathering. He joined the team at Wizards of the Coast as an art director, where he worked with hundreds of artists commissioning thousands of pieces of art. Mark returned to life as a freelance illustrator for a short time before being invited to work at Valve Corporation where he creates a variety of assets, such as illustrations, 3D models, visual effects, and animations for video games.

On community: “I’ve been a long-time believer in strengthening connections between artists by doing outreach, reviewing portfolios, participating in workshops, and mentoring. The illustration community has always been very open, sharing, and supportive. I owe much of what I’ve been able to achieve simply from my peer group.”

On hours in the day: “I have a persistent need to learn new skills, so I find that I don’t have enough time to get to all the things I want to accomplish. The biggest creative block I have is time.”

On what art has given him: “What hasn’t it given me? It’s given me my friends, my family, and my livelihood.”

Hometown: Salina, Kansas

His favorite place near Issaquah: “I'm a bit of a homebody. I enjoy spending time in my workshop, art studio, or with the family, but we tend to take the kids to Confluence Park on sunny afternoons, enjoying tacos from Laz’s food truck nearby and walking along the water.”

Find Mark:

Website  

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