by Mark Bradley Shoup

“When it comes to studio practice, I consider myself a pluralist, meaning that I do not dedicate myself to a singular vision or practice of creating images. The intention of my abstract and representational work is to address the theme of expansion and recession, consumption and growth, and in short, the elegance of brutality. The majority of my work is derived from my observation and interaction with the natural and constructed landscape and how we respond to our sense of place in the world as I am deeply intrigued by how we inhabit and utilize space. Such work is often derived from my own photographs as well as mapping systems and architectural schematics. Given my response to consumer relationships and waste, I dedicate a third series of work that is derived from discarded items that culminate in the form of collages and mixed media. The images in this particular body of work are a form of aesthetic play and experimentation of media. While the majority of my work has distinct conceptual underpinnings, this series of work presents a more sincere discourse with the concept of ‘play’ within the confines of studio practice where I allow the images and compositions to present themselves throughout the course of experimentation. While these images are not directlyaddressing the concepts embedded in my other work, they are directly linked and continue to influence one another in ways that are not always obvious or apparent to the viewer. My collage and mixed media work is the truest form of studio research as many of the techniques and compositions that are fleshed out within these works often find themselves residing in my more traditional painting practice.” – Mark Bradley-Shoup

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Mark Bradley-Shoup earned his BFA from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in Painting and Drawing and his MFA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Studio Art. He has exhibited his work in Los Angeles, Boston, Atlanta, Nashville, Knoxville, Omaha, Miami, Birmingham, Santa Monica, New Orleans and Vancouver, B.C. In addition to his extensive exhibition record, Bradley-Shoup has been the recipient two Make Work grants, the Individual Artist Fellowship from the Tennessee Arts Commission, an Individual Arts Grant form Allied Arts of Greater Chattanooga, and a Pollock-Krasner Grant, as well as nominated for the Dedalus Foundation, Joan Mitchell Award and a George Marshall Fellowship. His work has been published in New American Paintings and Collage: Contemporary Artists Hunt and Gather, Cut and Paste, Mash Up and Transform from Chronicle Books. Currently, Bradley-Shoup is based in Chattanooga where he lives with his wife and two children and is an Associate Lecturer at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga.