"Fluorescent paint, drag queens, latex, celebrities, dripping lips & porn stars - confused? Don't be! These are just some of the things that have inspired me in my creative pursuits. Based in Edinburgh, I am a contemporary Scottish artist with an eye for all things kitsch, bold, sexy and, most importantly, sassy!
So what's my story? Well, In a nutshell, I had a brief and extremely fun stint at Uni (earning a BA in Popular Music - yes, you read that right, POP music!), but it wasn't until after the course that I felt there was something missing in my day-to-day life. I had my degree, a great day, an amazing partner, a fantastic group of friends and a very supportive family - yet something just didn’t feel right!
It wasn't until I picked up a paintbrush in the early summer of 2015 that I rediscovered just how much I love to create tangible artwork. Since then I have spent every waking moment researching, painting, photographing, blogging, networking, succeeding, failing, persevering and generally having an amazing - yet admittedly challenging - time working on my artwork. I still love music and it plays a massive role in my life, but making visual art is an all-together different experience - it nourishes my soul! Having said this, my training as a popular musician hasn't gone to waste and many of the experiences and knowledge that I acquired during those years now informs much of my work and my visual identity as an artist. I am obsessed with contemporary pop culture and I have a sneaking suspicion uni is responsible for drawing that out of me . . .
A huge part of my creative output involves the LGBT community. As a young, gay artist I think it is hugely important to feed back into the community and to celebrate the amazing diversity, creativity, love and energy that this community has to offer. Many of the people I have met and worked with; including entertainers, online personalities, bar owners, charity workers, bloggers and drag queens have all shown me hugely colourful auras and each of them have wonderful stories to share. It is these fabulous, queer, entertaining and hilarious people that provide a constant source of inspiration for me as an artist and I am so grateful for it (as I'm typing this my drag queen friend Summer Frost is applying a flower beard in my living room!).
As a visual artist my aim is to depict the vitality, energy, charisma and frivolity that can be found in both our contemporary pop culture and also in the LGBT community. I want to create the brightest, loudest, brashest, over the top, messiest, sassiest, sexiest and most gorgeous artwork for people to proudly display in their homes and places of work. I want to help people express the parts of themselves that are screaming to be heard, the parts that are bursting with creative energy, fun and passion for living life to the fullest! When you have a Mark Vice on your wall, you know you are LIVING!
When I'm not devising my latest pop portrait or endlessly scrolling through Instagram (@markviceart if you’re interested), I'm usually in a coffee shop with my laptop or out and about in Edinburgh’s bars and clubs, socialising with and documenting the people that inspire so much of my work. All that’s left to say is thank you for stopping by my website! I hope that after looking at the work you leave feeling inspired and energised – go and grasp this day by the balls! If you happen to be enamoured with what you see then why not swing by the shop to check out what's on offer.
Thank you all,
- Mark "