Mark Francis (4)

Northern Irish contemporary painter and visual artist (b. 1962, Newtownards, Country Down); lives and works in London. Mark Francis developed a recognizable and innovative artistic practice of over 30 years, with abstract paintings characterized by grid formations, exploring the interplay between "chaos" and "order" on different scales. His work is often informed and inspired by natural phenomena and science. Francis appears in many prestigious collections worldwide: Arts Council England, British Council, Detroit Institute Of Arts, Deutsche Bank, Manchester Art Gallery, Metropolitan Museum Of Art, Microsoft Corporation's Art Collection in Redmond, The New York Public Library, Tate Modern, and Victoria And Albert Museum. Mark Francis spent his youth in London and began studying painting at St. Martins College of Art in 1981; Mark started participating in group exhibitions while at school. He graduated with a Bachelor's degree in 1985, followed by a Master's from Chelsea School of Art (85–86). Mark Francis established a strong association with science in his art, often seeking inspiration in mycology; in more recent years, he switched from a "micro" to a "macro" perspective and focused on astronomical formations. Francis also experimented with the wet-on-wet painting technique, similar to Gerhard Richter's 1960s experiments.