Biography

Hi, thanks for visiting my site, it's has been a long time in the making, in truth all my life. What you see here is part of who I am and in some way represent the experiences I have encountered along my journey in life.

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For as long as I can remember I have enjoyed making things, getting my hands dirty and drawing.

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I was born in Driffield Yorkshire to Mick and Claire.

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I came to a cross roads when I was nineteen years old, I could go one way or another. I strongly believed I had a choice to make, follow the crowd or do what I believe in.

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In the end the choice was simple, what do I like doing?

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Answer - I like drawing 

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I enrolled on an art course at my local college without knowing where it would lead, nearly thirty years ago. It has not been an easy journey but an extremely fulfilling one. One which I still feel is in its infancy. I eventually found stone while studying fine art at the University of Plymouth and instantly felt the material suited me. I studied Stone Masonry and Architectural Carving at Weymouth College, then moved to the beautiful Yorkshire Dales and worked as a stone mason.

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Art has always been my passion and although my experience working as a stone mason was rewarding, it did not fulfil my creativity. In 2000 I decided to put my energy into pursuing a career as a sculptor.

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From small beginnings my confidence and abilities have grown.

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My parents were both teachers, I believe this has enabled me to naturally relate to young people. I have worked in well over one hundred schools in the East Riding of Yorkshire and Hull facilitating creative projects. I have worked at a number of special needs schools and with Y.O.T Youth Offending Team. 

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I met artist Russell Coleman and started helping him on sculpture projects. Through Russell's professional relationship with Gordon Young I was exposed to more challenging and high profile work. I have been fortunate to work with other talented people on some of these campaigns.

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Although large scale public art projects have been a great training ground, I now feel that it is time to forge my own reputation and indulge my passion for stone carving and to develop my own style.

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Despite its weight, density and hardness, stone is a very delicate and fragile material. It has to be respected and understood to get the best results from it. I draw comparisons with the fragility of our species through my own struggles through life. We as humans are moulded by time, pressure and circumstance as is the stone, we are multi faceted and built by layers of life experience.

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The process of carving stone has a natural rhythm, its a good place to be - in the moment.

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Not all of my sculptures are a conscious choice, the stone sometimes dictates the form and finish and evolve through the creative process, others need planning.

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The aim when creating my sculptures is to show movement, tension, balance and a connection / relationship, sometimes fluid and others with connecting parts.

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I strive to find harmony and balance in an ever changing world and try to find positives and hope.

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Mark Powers