Featured Artist-Mark Doyle

The SSA are really pleased  to highlight the work of our second featured artist, Mark Doyle. Mark is an Edinburgh-based, mixed-media artist who will be exhibiting at the forth-coming Hidden Door Festival which opens on the 22nd of May.

Tell us what got you into art – how you got started – what first excited you
I think it’s something I’ve always done, I enjoyed drawing and making stuff as a kid but it wasn’t till I was doing my GCSEs that I really got into it and realised it was something I wanted to pursue (extra-curricular spray painting was the clincher!).

Where do you make your work?
I mostly work in my studio at home, it’s fine for small-scale work, though recently I’ve been working with a lot of plaster and this tends to get walked around the house to the annoyance of my girlfriend. I also try to get up to Edinburgh Printmakers and use their facilities when I can.

What are your main influences and sources of inspiration?
It’s hard to say. I think you need to be open to influences and inspiration from everywhere. You can seek it out by listening to music or visiting exhibitions but mostly, for me, I think it comes from learning new things, interesting conversations and trying to observe my surroundings with a critical eye.

Is there some piece of advice / information / knowledge that you’d like to share?
I’m constantly reminding myself to make time for drawing. It’s easy to fall out of the habit, but even if it’s just a doodle, I think it’s important to be able to record ideas visually.

Tell us about a project you are working on at present?
At the moment, I’m working on an installation for the Hidden Door Festival in Edinburgh. It’s opening on 22nd May, so everyone involved will be pretty busy over the next few weeks. It should be a good opportunity to get the work in front of new audiences. Also, some work I produced during an ASCUS residency with the Centre of Immunity, Infection and Evolution will be shown.

SSA Webpage: www.s-s-a.org/member/markdoyle

Website: cargocollective.com/markdoyle