Common Toad
See Illustration page for more...
King Charles 3rd Coastal Path information panel at the Orwell Bridge.
Mock Tudor
This work, which was selected for the Royal Academy
Summer Exhibition in 2018, was awarded the prestigious Hugh Casson Drawing Prize, worth £5000.
Upcoming exhibitions:
'Garden' - an exhibition by members of 'Freelance' at The Greenhouse Gallery
St Nicholas Street, Ipswich
From Wednesday 30 September to Saturday 31 October
10am to 5pm (closed Sunday and Monday)
Still-life with orange and plastic ~ 2020
This work was awarded the East of England regional prize in The Discerning Eye open exhibition in 2021.
It is one of a new series of paintings about plastic waste - a subject I get very worked up about. I have tried to make the packaging an integral and attractive part of the composition, suggesting that there isn't a straightforward solution to the problem. See the other paintings in this series on my Gallery page.
The Wall
This drawing, in pencil and crayon was inspired by a recent visit to Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland. I reimagined the wall as its 21st century equivalent - a metaphor for all the walls, real and mental, that we are rapidly putting up to separate us from people we regard as 'other' but who are really more like us than different from us
MARK BEESLEY
Artist and Illustrator
My current area of interest is the proliferation of huge industrial structures called Fulfilment Centres. It makes them sound as if they are some sort of temple or church, which perhaps in a sense they are. I am interested in the way they dominate the landscape, unlike many of the other structures which feature in my pictures. Their multi-coloured metal cladding and undulating roofs make big abstract designs contrasting with the more natural elements around them. They are also a little sinister because they give no clue as to what happens inside them
Mark receiving his award from Hugh Casson's daughter, Nicky Hessenberg and Christopher Lebrun, President
of the RA.
Cumberland Street, Woodbridge
This is one of a series of recent paintings of my home town. Some have been made into greetings cards for sale in Woodbridge shops. See Gallery page for more.
This is a recent work called 'The Waiting Room'. I have not painted large scale, multiple figure compositions before, so I made a lot of preparatory studies and borrowed friends as models for the figures. The interior is made up: it isn't intended to be a specific place, but rather a symbol for all the times and places in their lives that the viewers of this work have waited - perhaps for a decision which will change their lives: a job interview, the result of a medical tests, an application for asylum, a court case. The viewer can supply his or her own interpretation. It could even be waiting for Judgement Day.
I am now a full member of the Society of Graphic Fine Art. Founded in 1919, the Society promotes fine drawing skills in both traditional and contemporary media. It has more than 160 elected members and holds an annual open exhibition at the Mall Gallery in London and also regional, members-only exhibitions.
Have a look at the website: www.sgfa.org.uk
Recent illustration work includes pictorial maps and wildlife pictures for Country Parks and for the Suffolk section of the King Charles 3rd Coastal Path:
Henley Gate Country Park
for Ipswich Borough Council