Cities and Towns | Mark Horton

Horton, a Minnesota native who now lives in St. Augustine, Florida, took an unusual path to becoming an artist. Disenchanted with his law career, Horton began studying art at the University of Minnesota in the 1970s. By the early 80s, he quit his legal practice to pursue painting full time. Over the past forty years he has exhibited work at galleries across the Midwest and is part of numerous collections.

As a point of departure, Horton views urban cityscapes as a playground for endless discovery through painting. Transformations with color, texture, and pattern provide the illusion of an infinite, glowing city. His paintings, untethered to specific geographic markers, are strong in their anonymity and employ an atmospheric perspective to ground the viewer. Some of Horton’s urban landscapes transcend the literal scenes and are transformed into multi-layered abstractions. His artistic process utilizes small-scale studies to envision the sweeping skylines and snapshots of urban life. Of his process, Horton writes:

 “At a coffee house with some pencils and a drawing tablet, I draw small rectangles and squares and fill them with loosely drawn sketches. Some are the size of thumbnails, others, a little larger. A few of them suggest ideas I want to work with, and so, I add a few defining lines, trusting that my continuous involvement in my studio work will lead me to suggestions for paintings.

 I quickly scribble on the canvas with a brush or paint stick a semblance of the small sketch. I have on the canvas, color, form, shape, tones, and texture – all the visual elements of a completed painting. The process has put an idea before me to begin with. I have on the entire surface something to respond to, to change, to make more of. There is an unfolding idea: to start from nowhere, and by changing, adding, and rearranging, I end up with something deeper than I could have imagined.”

Artist Profile:
Mark Horton, a native of Saginaw, Michigan, was raised in Minneapolis. Mark received his law degree at the University of Minnesota in 1979. He began taking studio art classes at the University while practicing law and in 1982 Horton quit his legal practice to paint full- time. He and his wife, Barb, lived in Europe for five years studying art and painting as they traveled. In 1989, the Hortons returned to the United States, taking up residence in the Eau Claire area of Wisconsin for the next 18 years.  During this time, Horton joined Groveland Gallery in Minneapolis and the Tory Folliard Gallery in Milwaukee. Major commissions include work for Securian, the Midwest Express Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the Minnesota Department of Transportation, and the Dakota County Historical Society. Horton’s work is included in numerous corporate, healthcare, business and private collections across the United States.

Gallery Hours:
Tuesdays - Saturdays 12 to 5.
Private appointments are available