Saturday, November 9, 2024

Explore the Coast with Mark Brennan

On Friday November 8th we opened Mark Brennan's new show "Kissing the Shoreline", an impressive body of work that he has been building over the last three years. 
This stunning show consists of 43 paintings, which includes 34 small (6"x8" & 8"x10") "Sketch" works and seven large recreations from selected sketches. 

Scroll below for a sample of works from this show, a comparison of studies and their larger work counterparts as well as some thoughtful words from Mark on this body of work.

All works 6"x8", Oil on Panel

 Top Row Left to Right:
Heavy Fog Baptiste Island NS
Dawn Looking East Mitchell Bay NS
Middle Row Left to Right:

Sunrise Bar Island East Quoddy NS
Sunrise in Heavy Fog Harringan Cove NS
Bottom Row Left to Right:
Sky Over the Oakney Islands Mitchell Bay NS
Sand Shadows Wolfes Island NS

Mark on his works...

"This show is a tangible expression of things felt while exploring and painting the incredible coast of Nova Scotia over three year period, a coastline almost immaculate in some places, where nature still exists in abundance" 


Mark Brennan, Snow Squalls Over the Atlantic Bull Beach, Oil on Board, 24"x36"

SKETCH Mark Brennan, Snow Squalls over Atlantic, Bull Beach, Taylors Head NS, Oil on Board, 6"x8"


"The thing I am personally most grateful for are the experiences of actually being there, in the landscape, while painting this series... the sense of self slips away and opens up to the vastness and intricate balance of the universe." 

Mark Brennan, The Cliffs Wasson Bluff Near Parsboro NS, Oil on Board, 24"x36"

SKETCH Mark Brennan, The Cliffs Wasson Bluff, East of Parsboro, Oil on Board, 6"x8"

"The 43 works in this show contain not only the expression of place but also an unrestricted effort to point to something in contemporary times that calls out to the decision makers that there is something here worthy of their attention" 

Mark Brennan, Frost Nipped Forest, Hog Island NS, Oil on Board, 24"x36"

SKETCH Mark Brennan, Frost Nipped Forest Hog Island, Oil on Board, 6"x8"

Follow the above link to see a short video of Mark's show up in the gallery. 

Mark Brennan, Bright Spring Day, Deris Lakes Wilderness NS,  Oil on Cradleboard, 8"x10"

Mark Brennan, Cold Spring Day, Low Tide Mitchell Bay, Oil on Board, 8"x10"

"These paintings really have nothing to do with me, the work here is a small voice conveying a message of celebration and a declaration from the Fox Sparrow, Osprey or the Porpoise that they are here, living alongside us, that this is their home too."

Follow this link HERE to see the full album of Mark's new show 
And follow this linke HERE to see an album of all the other wonderful works by Mark Brennan