In third person: Mark is an old soul from the suburbs of Kansas City. Americana is his jam. Some of his greatest inspirations are Jazz, Roots/Americana music, Movies and Barbeque. He loves baseball, but not to watch it or follow ... more the folklore and imagery surrounding it. Does that make sense? Also his artistic heroes (and some Facebook friends) include the likes of Pablo Picasso, Al Hirschfeld, Thomas Hart Benton, Andrea Ventura, David Cowles, Steve Brodner, Pablo Lobato, Robert Risko, Philip Burke, and many more. He loves faces and how a humorous portrait or caricature can reveal so much more about a personality than any posed photo ever could. He is a strong believer that illustration will once again rule the world (in his lifetime). He works as a graphic designer at the City of Springfield and lives in Springfield, Missouri with his wife and two kids. In his spare time, Mark paints, designs posters, goes to his son's baseball or soccer games. He plays mandolin and harmonica, but not at the same time. Every year on his birthday, he eats dry ribs and takes the family to a movie.