Mark Prior
Selected Biography
2008 Establishing of 'MiMa @ the Bay', Downtown Vancouver, BC, Canada
2005 Founding of MiMa Fine Art Publishers, Inc., BC, Canada
1985-2002 Priors Contemporary Fine Art and Crafts Gallery, Sole Proprietor, Barnard Castle, U.K. Representing over 100 artists.
1995-2002 The Ecological Framing Company (E.F.C.), Sole Proprietor, manufacture, wholesale and retail of ecologically sound mouldings and framing for the public and artists, Barnard Castle, UK
1988-1991 Lilac Cottage Studios, Sole Proprietor (& Photog. Teacher) offering classes and workshops in Fine Arts, Photography, Crafts and Healing Arts.
1985-1987 Teacher of Photography, part-time, Darlington Media Group, Darlington, UK
1981-1984 Photography and Documentation of Grizedale Forest Sculptures, UK
1979 Stage and Lighting Designer, Brighton Polytechnic’s Brighton Festival Production, UK
Selected Exhibitions, Articles and Awards
May 2008 - April 2011 'MiMa @ the Bay', Downtown Vancouver, BC, Canada
2006 Home & Interior Design Show, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
2006 “Summer Exhibition”, MiMa Fine Art Gallery, BC, Canada.
2005 “Christmas Exhibition”, Pyramid Gallery, York, UK.
2005 “Calligraphy of Birds/Poetics of Space”, MiMa Fine Art Gallery, BC, Canada.
2005 “Calligraphy of Birds/Poetics of Space”, Denman Gallery, BC, Canada.
2005 Comox Valley Echo, BC, Canada.
1985-2002 Permanent Collection, Priors Contemporary Fine Art and Crafts Gallery, Barnard Castle, UK
1999 BBC2 TV Feature, “Working Lunch” Program, “The Art of e-commerce”
1998 EFC - Winner, Environment Award, County Durham Business Excellence Awards (News Feature on Tyne Tees Television)
1998 Priors Web Site chosen to introduce Prime Minister Tony Blair to e-commerce
1997 Co-Pilot of Elect Project, Partners: Visa, NatWest, Hewlett Packard and Onyx Internet, leading to S.E.T (Secure Electronic Transaction System)
1997 Research and Development of Constitution of Durham Fine Arts and Crafts, (funded through County Durham T.E.C.), Elected first Chairman
1988 Exhibition and Permanent Collection, Glaxo Operations UK
1988 “Classic Ground”, 3 man show, Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, UK
1988 Publication, “Classic Ground”, New Arcadian Journal No. 27, UK
1987 “Four Ancient Essex Churches Through The Fall Of Winter”, Bede Monastery Museum, Jarrow, UK and Woodhorn Church Museum, Northumberland
1984-1986 “Four Ancient Essex Churches Through The Fall Of Winter”, Solo Exhibition, Toured 33 Essex Libraries, UK
1984 Solo Exhibition, “A Sense of Place”, Sunderland Arts Center, UK, touring to 4 major UK venues
1984 Publication of Book “A Sense of Place”, Ceolfrith Press, UK
1983 Article, Grizedale Forest Installations, Studio International magazine, UK
1983 “The Sculpture Show” (photos of sculpture), Hayward Gallery, London
1979-1980 “Young Photographers in the South East”, touring 4 venues, South England
1979 ”Student ’79”, Prize for Best Entry, Photogallery, St. Leonard’s-on-Sea
Education
1979 B.A.(Hons.) Fine Art, Brighton Polytechnic, UK
1984 Diploma in Professional Photography, Polytechnic of Central London, UK
STATEMENT: Calligraphy of Birds
It was necessary to set out before dawn to the bird sanctuary in Kerala, South India, habitat for thousands of exotic eastern birds, to witness the time of their greatest activity. Moving amongst them with a boat in silence, I became familiar with their moods and daily rituals, overwhelmed with the life and the potential that was before me. I had studied birds since childhood but the chance to photograph them so closely was a rare opportunity. Soon I learned to anticipate their movements. I noticed something within would move, fly and land with them...
The Process behind the Images
…Calligraphy of Birds:
These images undergo a process of visual editing on the computer,
taking a colour digital photograph, turning it black and white and
stripping away all information not essential to conveying what it is
about the image that moves me. So the resulting image will not be an
accurate reproduction of what the camera saw. I have set out to create
a work of art, the computer screen being my canvas, the photograph
providing the structure. I consciously apply the same fundamentals of
composition, line, form and shadow as Mitra does in her calligraphic ink and
brush paintings. The tools are new but the process of building an image
equates to manipulating light as it falls on photographic paper, as I did for years working in the photographic darkroom.
