The store is finally up and running!  It’s been a loooooong time coming, but it’s finally here.

For those of you who might be wondering, “Mark, why are there only three images. . .and why do two of the three seem like they’re catered more towards girls?”  Excellent question!

The three images were originally created for my daughter when she was born.  You can read a little more about them here.  In a nutshell they were created for her and her room once she came home from the hospital and maybe she might pass them along to her own children some day.

More images are in the works over the next few months that will be focused more on boys.  Have any suggestions?  I’d love to hear them!

So I’ve been working over the past month on this 16″x20″ painting for my friend Matt Logelin and the Liz Logelin Foundation http://thelizlogelinfoundation.org/ The Liz Logelin Foundation was established to provide financial assistance to young widows and widowers with dependent children.  The Foundation was established in 2009 by Matt Logelin, who lost his wife Elizabeth in 2008.

The painting is oil on canvas and is called “Electric M&M”.  If you’re curious about the robot, you can check out the background story here:  http://www.mattlogelin.com/whats-with-the-fuckin-robot/

The robot is, of course, THE robot. . .but could also be considered to embody Matt.  On the bot’s shoulder sits a bot version of Matt’s daughter Maddy.  She holds a lit stargazer lily which is the LLF’s logo and was also Liz’s favorite flower.  The stars in the sky are also lilies, and just below are a flock of seven origami birds (symbolizing good luck).  Liz’s name can be seen in the lights on one of the buildings in the background.  Open doors on the building rooftops symbolize opportunity. . .the mystery and surprises of things to come. . . .whether or not they’re good or bad.  The city is nondescript. . .could be anywhere.  The clothes and clothes lines along the bottom are that sort of indicator of parenthood. . .not everyone uses a clothes line, of course. . .but sweet Lord. . . once you become a parent it’s like there’s an explosion of laundry!  I’ve always liked the sense of movement from clothes blowing in the wind. . .and especially the visual look of clothes lines in an urban setting.  I don’t know what it is about it, but I like it.  Maybe it’s the idea of these isolated buildings suddenly becoming connected. . .looking more like a community?  Orrrr maybe I just like painting sheets in the wind.  Too many paint fumes. . moving on. . .

Ten paper prints, two stretched canvas prints along with the original will be auctioned off at the Liz Logelin Foundation Gala on  Sunday, September 20^th.  There will be an auction in Minneapolis, MN as well as an online auction.  For more information check it out at:  http://thelizlogelinfoundation.org/events/gala/

When my daughter McK was growing in her momma’s tummy, I wanted to create something special for her nursery.  I always loved the old nursery rhymes and some of the illustrations from the Little Golden Books . . . especially Mother Goose.  I decided to create a set of paintings based on old nursery rhymes and limit the pallet to the colors we selected for her bedding.  Just for fun I’d include random things. . . like the cow with a tutu.

I created them with the intent that McK would enjoy them growing up and eventually pass them on to her own children some day.  Needless to say she’s been enjoying them every day.  So far so good.

My wife, family and friends have encouraged me to self-publish these paintings as nursery prints for other families (both new and growing) who might want them for their own children.  So I’m giving it a try and see how it goes.  The prints are on gallery stretched canvas and coated with a semi gloss finish. . .ready to hang.  They can be purchased through Paypal via the store at www.markrose.com. Other similar themed nursery paintings are going to be released in the months to come.  Be sure to visit again to check on the progress!

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Mark Rose and I am an artist.  What kind of an artist?  That’s a good question.  I’ve had the good fortune of being able to try a number of things art related:   Created designs for t-shirts, freelance illustrator, collectible prints, concept art, 3d modeling and animations for video games, even portraits and caricatures for people.  I’ve also had the misfortune of doing a number of things non-art related (though it gave me plenty of time to think about the art stuff).    I have a plethora of thoughts, ideas and inspiration . . . and sometimes I need to have a little place to gather all this stuff and possibly share with others.  If you enjoy art, the occasional chuckle, eye candy, and some thoughts on the interesting and sometimes random  . . . you, my friend, have come to the right place . . .