ARTIST BIO

BIO including ARTIST STATEMENT

For a greater artist profile, more artwork, and examples of Marks creative process, see his website: https://www.iconiccolours.com/about

I seek to paint absolutely beautiful, radiant, eye-catching art works that personify my heart for people, and a portray a living voice of hope, encouragement, meaning, positivity, healing and purpose, that invite contemplation, and inspire people in their self-worth, purpose and dreams.

My paintings are often accompanied by poems I compose, that help explain the symbolism or purpose of the work.  And due to my own journey of finding emotional healing, has helped me bring healing to others though my art. I recall distinctly, how this become so real to me, when I sold my first collection of my work to someone in the blues, who remarked, "I need the colours and form of your paintings to help me to overcome my depression." Since that time I have often received many comments about my arts beauty and ability to cause a calming and soothing affect, producing happiness and joy, which people readily feel and testify to, from all over the world. Here are just a few sample testimonials, I have hundreds:

Love the colours. Make Melbourne look so happy. (Italy)

So natural and colourful. Makes me feel lightful. (Taiwan)

Love the colours and the unusualness, fantastic (Melbourne)

The Perfect present...Gorgeous, happy pictures. Congratulations (Perth)

Very beautiful (Jakarta)

Really unique colours and originality is exciting (South Africa)

Mark Rusic's colour palette will bring the Australian sun to any place on earth (New York)

I love the vibrant colours. They evoke a sort of calm happiness. (Canada)

Gorgeous work. The colour and vibrancy of your work is so beautful! (Australia, New Castle)

Thank you, pure joy (New York)

I think your paintings are astoundingly beautiful. (Germany)

Lovely work. These will brighten up my home (Vietnam)

So very refreshing (Vienna)

Your pictures are amazing (Brazil)

The artwork is stunning. I love the uniqueness...you have something special to share with us all. (Sydney)

I am a self taught artist with a background in engineering, and as a pastor-life coach for most of my life, together with over 20 years experience as an artist. There was a consistent trail of affirmation and accreditation due to my artistic talent from a young age, which was of not of the greatest surprise due to my fathers background as an architect and a prolific artist, who continues to this day at 90 years of age. Sales of my art to clients world wide, became common place, when my wife started a weekly stall in Queen Victoria market. I kept a list of literally hundreds of buyer testimonials from every continent(few samples shown above), all consistenly highlighting the love of the colours I used and unique form of the paintings, and often to people that have said, "I never bought art or never thought to buy it prior to meeting you Mark", which greatly catalysed my passion. I feel my best years are ahead as an artist and I am presently experiencing a resurgence of passion, and with more time to focus now.

Due to the popularity of my art and numerous sales, especially about a decade ago, it enabled me become the author of Iconic Melbourne and Iconic Animals of Australia, a collection of about 20 paintings of Melbourne, and associated poems and photography, which have been selling in leading book retailers, nationally, since 2014 and 2017 respectively.  That includes selling in places like Dymocks, Robinsons etc...and includes giftware related shops, like Spoilt giftwares, the Melbourne zoo retail shop, The Melbourne Museum retail show, Sydney Opera House Shop, at main airports, and  some art suppliers like Seniours Art supplies, cbd, and out of the way places like st.Pauls Cathedral shop @Flinders st, Melbourne.

One of my highlights was that 300 copies of Mark's Iconic Melbourne book were received as a gift book to G20 world delegates in 2014, via the Melbourne Museum.

See booktopia.com.au to view or purchase my books.

My art has sold in some of these commercial places mentioned also, including The Melbourne Museum for several years, where it was profiled all around the main retail store, with my books and paintings for sale, in both front and rear windows for around 6 months, previously.

I have also had a lot of gallery experience, though Ive prioritized selling my art direct online, for most of my career.

I have always been a trail blazer; thats what people say about me. I love a challenge. Im currently working on preparing two exhibits, one related to Indigenous Australians. I have a dream that one day these exhibits can be show cased in the main state galleries, including the NGV international, and maybe MoMA in New York etc..., and also appear for example, in the hallowed halls of parliament both local and abroad, not for prestige sake, but to make a statement and a difference in lives.

My favourite art medium is oils, working in impasto, with thickly textured brush strokes that highlight the works genesis, though I readily work in acylic and water colours too. Many people often comment that my work appears Van Gogh like.  Truth be told, Van Gogh has been by far the dominant influence in my art. This is so, even to the point that I also offer 'Paint like Van Gogh,' art workshops, which have proved to be very popular over the years.

I also do author talks, and have also done motivational speaking, related to my books and their art, in a large variety of organisations, for over a decade.

I enjoy doing commissioned works, receiving details about a client's iconic moments, places, desired features, or themes, whether for commercial or home applications. I'm higly adaptable, and enjoy painting all subject matters including still life, landscape, portaiture, nature and semi abstract-surrealism, to form tailored art works:

• Art that can boldy and brightly light up and mood-shift, to transform living and office spaces,
• Art to provide a featured focal and talking point at the dinner table,
• Art to give a means to power up people's passion and visualise their vision,
• Art that makes a way to mark people's memories and
• Art with the use of symbolism and colour help produce telling paintings that teach defining, timely and trend-setting truths, concepts and even mysteries.

I also continue to draw inspiration from all artists, especially the masters, and even from Christ, the greatest artist himself; I love this quote by Van Gogh himself, who wrote of Christ to artist, Emil Bernard, his contemporary, in June 1888:

“Christ alone, of all the philosophers, magicians, etc., has affirmed eternal life as the most important certainty, the infinity of time, the futility of death, the necessity and purpose of serenity and devotion. He lived serenely, as an artist greater than all other artists, scorning marble and clay and paint, working in the living flesh. In other words, this peerless artist, scarcely conceivable with the blunt instrument of our modern, nervous and obtuse brains, made neither statues nor paintings nor books. He maintained in no uncertain terms that he made…living men, immortals.”