Expressive Therapy – an exhibition by Mark Andrews
“Art is therapy”
An Exhibition of paintings and drawings
About Mark Andrews
Born in Hobart, Tasmania (1968)
Mark studied a Bachelor of Fine Arts at University of New South Wales (UNSW), College of Fine Art (formerly City Art Institute). He also completed a Diploma of Art (Painting Prize Distinction) at Hornsby TAFE in Sydney – studying under Peter Godwin, Valerie Olsen and Bela Ivanyi (Painting, Drawing and Photography). He attended Sculpture classes at Meadowbank, Sydney and studied “Life Drawing” at the Brisbane Institute of Art in Queensland.
Mark has and continues to, travel extensively throughout the world (until Covid-19); including the United States, Canada, Africa, Europe and Asia, as well as all States and Territories of Australia – attending exhibitions of as many Art Galleries and Museums as possible. He is a Gallery enthusiast and a keen investor of Art, particularly Aboriginal and Modern Art.
An earlier exhibition held almost a decade ago, “Four Corners of Art” (jointly held in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane), virtually sold out, and he’s continued to produce several Commission works since that event. His works have also featured in several Brisbane Grammar School Art Shows, which show-cases almost 100 visual artists, and includes approximately 600 works each year, making it the largest single collection of art for sale by established Queensland artists, in Brisbane.
In 2014, Mark accepted an offer to paint a portrait of close friend, Hugh Jackman in New York, for the Archibald prize. In 2018, he painted a Portrait of Alice Williams – acknowledging her selection in the Australian Women’s Water Polo Team. Last year, Mark painted both a portrait of a prominent Queensland surgeon, Assoc Professor Dr Richard Williams, for the Archibald Prize and also painted “Bushfire Landscape” for the Wynne Prize.
After 30 years in corporate life, Mark returned to his first love, working from his new Art Studio. His 2019 solo Exhibition, “Wanderlust” (Percolator Gallery in Paddington, Brisbane), was well attended and extremely successful. The large body of works, highlighting almost 9 years, was inspired by his love of travelling.
Mark was thrilled to have several pieces purchased by Hugh for their new USA Hampton’s House – including “Hawaii Big Island”, purchased as a ‘thank you gift’ for Keala Settle, for her involvement in his World Tour, “The Man, The Music, The Show”. Mark was honoured to present this in person to Keala, in Brisbane before the final Australian Show. This hangs in her Los Angeles home.
Many commissioned works have followed, and further sales from the website (post the 2019 exhibition), continue to encourage more works. Thanks partly to lockdowns and travel restrictions, Mark used this time to create in excess of 60 new pieces for an upcoming exhibition. In May 2021, he will be displaying these works and others at the Royal Queensland Art Society (Brisbane Branch)’s Petrie Terrace Gallery, for his new “Expressive Therapy” Exhibition.
Marks’ works are represented in corporate and private collections throughout Australia, the UK, USA, Indonesia and Japan.