As a child I had always dreamed of making my little black and white doodles into huge colorful paintings. And finally, in the late 1990s when I was in my mid-30s, I began to do so. I chose oils as the medium somewhat randomly. I just figured that if oil paint is what all the great masters used then that’s what I was supposed to use too. I should have also figured that since the masters didn’t paint on cardboard then neither should I. But I guess you live and learn.

Since I worked the 3-11pm shift at a group home for the Developmentally Disabled, when I got home at midnight I would start painting while listening to the Art Bell Radio Show until the sun rose the following morning. In case you didn’t know, this late-night syndicated talk-show program was a pioneering effort which brought strange and controversial topics to the world’s stage. It discussed subject matter that wasn’t being discussed anywhere else. Topics like bigfoots, UFOs, reincarnation, the power of the mind, and any other area that was now being researched by scientists around the world but wasn’t getting any mainstream attention. Important matters which people should have had the opportunity to learn about were finally being discussed on the world stage because the show was syndicated globally. So it would be very fair to say that Art Bell and his many guests had a huge impact on the content of my art.

    Eventually I began having art exhibits at galleries and sold a modest number of paintings. Not that many, but some, which in and of itself was an accomplishment because it’s not that easy to sell art. I discovered that for some reason my Last Supper homage to both DaVinci and Picasso seemed to touch a nerve in people, and to this day they remain a popular item among my patrons. Each time I sold one I would make another that was slightly (or a lot) different but in the same general style, which always seemed to sell as well. So I continue to make them to this day, always having one on hand in case someone wants it. Go figure, the paintings which require the least amount of technical know-how seem to be the most popular.

    I’ve never considered myself a painter by trade. In fact I’ve always had a day job. What I am is a painter who paints because I have to. It is as natural for me to sit in front of the canvas and create paintings as it is to walk and talk. Though in recent years painting has become my therapy. Because in 2020 my beloved wife and soulmate, Michelle, passed away from cancer and there was very little left in my life that I enjoyed anymore. But painting remained one of those very few things, along with writing and playing the guitar, the sacred pursuits. 

    Following Michelle’s transition into Spirit I moved to Bali, Indonesia to heal and begin my life again. Along with writing a book about the story of our life together called Maydecember09: A True-Love Story, painting became a lifeline by which I could escape the physical world. Inspired by endless podcasts, audiobooks, and music I submerged myself into my art. It wasn’t that my life here in Bali wasn’t filled with a great deal of adventure, because it was. It was that even with all the amazing people I met, bands I saw, and places I went, it all somehow still felt empty without Michelle there to share it with me as she had always done. But when I wrote that book or made new paintings it felt as though she were right there beside me again, and I felt the closest to being at peace since she had passed. When I paint it is as though she is still there in the next room working on her own writing or art as she had always done. And if you ever read the Maydecember book, you will understand exactly why.

    The subject matter of my paintings is diverse. I refer to my niche to friends and people I meet as “Renaissance Conspiracy” because I love the Renaissance style, the golden halos and the Madonnas. But I also love conspiracy theory. Anything that takes an alternative look at any topic is okay with me. And as is the case with my own personal beliefs, my paintings don’t claim to have the answer to anything. They merely address interesting off-the-beaten-path topics and raise questions. What do my paintings mean? I know what they mean to me, and I could go on for hours about it. But the reality is that they mean something different to every person who looks at them depending on that individual’s own unique world views. And as we all know, everyone seems to have their own opinion about everything. 

    What I attempt to accomplish in my paintings is to make them both visually and intellectually stimulating. Thus, rich colors and swirling psychedelic patterns can be found adorning people who don’t look like regular old-fashioned folks. The use of archaic symbols and ancient writings is also another hallmark of my work which hopefully gets the viewer pondering the meaning. Perhaps there is a UFO hiding in the background, or the Madonna holds a gray alien baby instead of a regular little Jesus. Either way, the goal is that by the time you’ve given up trying to figure out what it means the rich patterns and colors have drawn you in on a visceral level. Thus, the moniker, “Renaissance Conspiracy.” 

One of my literary heroes is the American novelist, Stephen King, who in his book, “On Writing” makes it clear that if you want to be a writer, then write! But painting for me is somewhat the opposite. It’s not that I want to be a painter so I paint. It’s that I paint, just as I eat and breathe, so I guess I could be called a painter. In fact, when I meet someone and they say, “Oh, you’re a painter!” I usually reply, “No, I’m Infinite Awareness, but I do make some paintings.” This philosophy comes from another of my favorite authors, the English researcher, David Icke, and the school of thought which adheres to the age-old adage that we are not humans on a spiritual journey, but rather it is just the opposite. We are spirits on a human journey. Good words to live by in a world which requires a great deal of grounding in order not to get swept away by its absurdities.

Well, there you have it. The art of Mark Boyle is colorful and visually stimulating, while containing strange themes which perhaps even the artist himself does not know the meaning of. I hope you enjoy it!