AMM NextGen Artist Spotlight: Mark Boomershine
How do you describe your art?
My art has mostly been described as happy. While that is not by any means a classic art historian term, I’ll gladly accept it. My work has a strong influence of pop masters such as Jasper Johns, but also figurative and economy of motion in my brushwork similar to Leroy Nieman’s work of the late 1960’s and early 1970’s.
What continue to be your biggest inspirations on your journey as an artist?
I am excited about my latest inspiration for new works. I just finished a 7,000 nautical mile journey on a boat that I captained with my wife and two children as crew. We journeyed all the way to the northern waters of Canada and all the way down to the Exuma Bahamas. I am looking forward to how this journey presents itself in my new work both in the colors of the aquatic nature we saw, as well as the physical challenges that we experienced, that will have an impact on new works I am sure. It will be exciting to see how our incredible journey will manifest itself.
What do you hope to “give” to the public and to your collectors through your artwork?
Ultimately, I want to “give” a gift of joy or happiness when a collector or viewer sees my work. Be it a commissioned piece of a family member’s portrait in my unique style or one of my more abstract pieces, ultimately, I want a faint smile with every passing. Some artists want to convey deep meaning and a myriad of feelings of darkness to evoke thought…while I think that is wonderful and needed…it is not me. Color me happy.
What is the greatest joy that you receive from your artwork and your process?
There is no better joy than working in my studio with good music playing, the creative process flowing freely from me, and the knowledge that I am painting a piece that will become a generational belonging for a family in many parts of the world. I am blessed to do what I do.
What are some words of wisdom or encouragement that you can give to aspiring young artist or aspiring older artist, today?
Never be afraid to value your work higher than you think it should be. There are so many talented artists just starting out who think that, because they are new in the art world, they need to get a name for themselves, so they start their pricing rock bottom at art fairs or local art markets. Obviously, they have to be realistic and not price their work too high, but they do need to take into consideration their material costs and most importantly their time associated with creating the work so that they can feed themselves and keep the studio lights on. If an artist is doing art for a hobby and some extra money, that is a completely different circumstance and can actually put pricing pressure on a new artist starting out to make a career for themselves.
Where would you like to see yourself five, 10, 20 years from now in respect to the art world and your place within it?
I am currently 52 years old. I started my art career at age 38. Twenty years from now, I will, with the good Lord willing, be 72 years old. I completely still see myself painting well past that age. It keeps my mind active and there is a good bit of physicality in painting that will keep me young. Creativity does not suffer from age and you have to use it or else you loose it!
Mark Boomershine was born in Atlanta in 1971. Educated at The Westminster Schools and The University of Alabama (1995), Boomershine studied both Business Management as well as Fine Art. The use of both left and right brain led the artist to explore all things graphic. Boomershine has traveled the world, exploring vast cultures and how they represent themselves artistically. He gravitated toward the power of the pop art movement and uses simplistic images offset by meaningful words about the artist’s subject. The result brings to life both the imagery and insight in the individual being painted. Through his techniques, motivated by the palette and provocation of pop art, the viewer is able to experience a total immersion in the multidimensional quality of each subject. Boomershine relocated his studio to Los Angeles in 2015 and created works that represented the sun, life, and energy that are emitted from living in Southern California. Boomershine moved back to Atlanta in 2019 and continued to grow his collector base with corporate and international clients. Most recently, Boomershine moved his wife, two kids and two cats onto a 41 ton motor vessel and traveled 7,000 nautical miles from Florida to Canada and the Bahamas to seek adventure and inspiration from the nautical world and scenery they witnessed. New works will be in creation soon from the grand adventure.
Miles is an American magazine publisher, producer and financier for film and television as well as an entrepreneur. He also facilitates financing and the building of strategic networks for AI tech, commercial real estate, sports entertainment, commodities, agriculture and energy. His network and strategic partnerships span continents, from North America to LATAM to the EU, UK, India and the Middle East. For the past 30 years he has created and published magazines telling stories of the people, places and things that make communities unique, strong and vibrant. Additionally, he contributes as a writer to international art magazines. Miles also acts as an advisor to several tech and entertainment companies, each dedicated to next level growth of tech and fan base development for Web 3, Web 2 and studio distribution. He is the Principal of Fire Mountain Entertainment & Capital, a firm focused on where tech meets entertainment and finance.
