Up close and personal with acclaimed artist Mark Mulfinger
“From simple to complex. From light to dark. There is definitely a pattern to my work,” muses celebrated Upstate artist Mark Mulfinger. Known for his batik paintings as well as his woodcut printmaking, Mulfinger boasts a prolific portfolio exhibiting stunning layers of color and shadow.
“I call myself a poetic representationalist,” says Mulfinger. “While I depend on the visible world around me for my original inspiration, once my pen or brush starts moving, I take a somewhat meandering path to the [finished piece].” The artist credits his ability to be spontaneous to an unusual teacher: watercolor, a medium that is hard to manipulate because “it does its own thing at times.”
Never heard of batik? It’s an Indonesian technique of wax-resist dyeing applied to a whole cloth, and Mulfinger’s approach is distinctive in that he sprays his vibrant dyes onto the canvas rather than soaking the whole cloth in dye, allowing him to produce more nuanced shades and sophisticated color combinations. “At the end, because it [dries by blowing in] the wind, the batik develops the characteristic crackling wax that gives it that authentic antiquity-inspired look, which is very endearing and distinctive,” Mulfinger adds.
Passion fuels Mark Mulfinger
Born in Syracuse, New York, Mulfinger has called Greenville home since 1965, and has stayed involved in his community through exhibitions and teaching. “The Greenville area just keeps getting better and better,” he says. “I think it has great potential [as an arts hub] as it becomes more eclectic. Another wonderful addition is the Grand Bohemian—it’s such a unique and marvelous format for art. Obviously, it draws people from all over the world, and, ingeniously enough, they must walk through the gallery to eat at the restaurant.”
In addition to iconic and idyllic scenes of Greenville, you’ll find striking subjects like foxes and stags in smoking jackets sipping single malt whiskey—and many mysterious skulls—in Mulfinger’s work. A recent reduction linocut called The String Corpstet depicts four strings-playing skeletons with instruments dancing across bony fingers. “The structure of the human form has always fascinated me,” says Mulfinger. “When I was maybe five or six, I remember finding a clump of wet cement outside, which I fashioned into a skull. Skulls have all kinds of mysterious and spooky connotations that make them intriguing.”
Mulfinger’s passion for drawing and creating is fueled and inspired by his faith. “It doesn’t matter what I’m drawing—it starts to get interesting,” notes Mulfinger, who marvels at the beauty that can be found in dirty dishes or the climbing, high-contrast forms of kudzu. “When I’m in motion and the juices start flowing, I feel like I’m walking in obedience. I have a friend who, every time he ran, he knew that God was smiling on him. Well, I feel that way as I’m drawing.”:
On View
Enjoy Mulfinger’s work in person at the Grand Bohemian Gallery, which represents the artist.
A Very Hungry Studio Assistant
The artist recently welcomed a sweet and sassy Kunekune piglet, named Odellia May, into his home studio.
Classes & Workshops
Mulfinger teaches homeschool classes for children at the Master’s Challenge Academy and encourages small groups to book private batik workshops through his Instagram, @markmulfinger.
