“Micro to Macro” Featured artist: Mark Lucas
Mark Lucas grew up around art. As far back as
he can remember, his mother, also an artist, encouraged him to create. In fact,
his mom relates that as a baby Mark would rather sculpt his food than eat it.
He continues sculpting today—with glass!
Lucas began working with glass when he was
18. “The medium seemed interesting and challenging,” Lucas recalls. Lucas
doesn’t stop with glass, although that is his primary medium sold at the Jerome
Artists’ Cooperative Gallery. He has worked in many media including ceramics,
pencil, ink, collage, silversmithing, stenciling and welding. His show “Micro
to Macro” reflects his interests in glass, stencil work and sculpture.
Lucas was born in New Orleans, grew up in New
York and Idaho, and moved to Prescott at the age of 16. After Lucas committed
his life to art, his success grew. Eventually, he was able to move from
Prescott to Jerome, and there, over the past 8 years, Lucas has built an art
business that reflects his dedication to his work. Just this past year, he
opened his own gallery in Jerome.
Regarding his new works, Lucas states, “Most
of my new sculptures are based on biological forms like radiolarians, molds,
and cells which I alter, evolve, and combine to create new forms.” Some of his
glass sculptures can take over 100 hours to complete, being slowly built up
using glass rods. All of his glass work is lampwork, in which the artist uses a
torch.
Pieces created
using stencils on wood is another form of expression that Lucas will be
showing. These pieces are sure to engage the viewer with a “black on black”
concept. Lucas states, “By using black on black, it brings people into the
piece, as it is the interaction with the light that you see that is
intriguing.”
Micro
to Macro runs August 1 to September 25.