Elaborate pen-and-ink and ink wash figures and landscapes reveal that Artist C. Mark Burt, age 36 and a resident of Bossier City, has a singular imagination. No one in this region – above ground – has yet to approach his spiky world view or the unfettered funk of his psychedelic characters.
“Growing up in North Louisiana, it’s hard not to be influenced by religious myths,” said Burt in his artist statement. “I have my own questions about the universe, the origin of the human race – Who are we? How did life begin? As a result, I decided to create my own planet. My work has a psychological strangeness. My intricate mixed media drawings are a documentation of this exact sentiment. The emotional upheavals seen in the work are what tie every piece together.”
“My drawings are psychological narratives,” said Burt. “The time I studied under Lee Baxter Davis fuels my inspiration. Davis was my drawing and printmaking teacher in East Texas (Burt has a BFA from Texas A&M in Commerce, Texas). He is someone under the radar to the art world. My work is closely approximated to his — rife with commix sensibility, lush textures and lurid details.”
Burt’s work has been shown at Clementine Gallery, NYC. He was part of a 2007 exhibit by The Lizard Cult, which includes Davis and other college friends of Burt’s. NYC collector Beth Rudien DeWoody purchased one of his pieces.
Meanwhile, he has been building a tentacular, reticulated body of work in a disciplined drive toward the next opportunity. Presently teaching drawing and sculpture, Burt was a graphic designer for the Shreveport Times for some years. He was laid off by Gannett in 2011.
You may follow the growing amount of color and deepening cosmic penetration of his recent works at cmarkburt.tumblr.com.
At Burt’s tumblr site you will discover that he has a whimsical side, too. The sculptures that he makes for his students – spiders, robots, aviary creatures – are strange but colorful and friendly.
Yet these more quickly accessible works – even the bag puppets – do not betray the remarkable Burt world view or his deep artistic peculiarity.