Hey there! I'm Mark Rockwood. I am a ceramicist and printmaker working out of the south-west side of Atlanta Georgia. I've lived in Georgia my entire life and feel a deep sense of place here in the American southeast. I really love plants! I go on plant preservation rescues where groups of people dig and cultivate native plants on land slated for development. I grow my own vegetables and wild flowers and really love foraging wild plants for cooking.
How did you get into Art-Making?
I've always loved making art. I started painting as young as I can remember and never looked back. While I have a longer history with painting, I switched to ceramics and printmaking in an effort to be able to sell work to the people that inspire me. I really love being able to sell my work to working people. While it would be great to sell large paintings, I would rather have my work in the hands of many.
What is your creative process? What inspires you?
My creative process is inspired by my daily struggle to live a sustainable life in the face of climate change. I'm saddled with a deep fear and sadness for the loss of biodiversity we're facing as a planet and I try to let myself feel and ponder all the ways that it affects us. The images I create often have an upbeat and saturated tone to them which is a response to great dread I impose on myself. They serve as a balm to the fear and as an inspiration to myself to keep up the difficult work of sustainability. Take for example one of my best selling prints: "Late Summer Vermouth." The image features a person pouring out a glass of vermouth, with an audience of friends at dinner and a platter of herbs. The botanicals depicted are all things I grow and forage to make vermouth, and vermouth itself, serves an agricultural waste funnel where all the odds and ends of other food processes are macerated in wine and sweetened to make the digestif. The plants to make these used to grow wild and are now replaced by crab-grass lawns and parking lots. The image serves as an icon to continue diving deeper into ecology and sharing the yummy results with friends.
Tell us some fun facts about yourself!
I don't have a car and don't plan on it! I have been cycling and taking public transit as my only form of transportation for two years and it's been incredible. In addition to alleviating some guilt that came with driving my car around, I find my commutes more peaceful and adventurous. I really love loading up all my prints and ceramics on my bicycle and going to artist markets.
