Mark Walker Images
Fine Art Photography
About Mark
Artist’s Statement
The lens I focus the world through has been tempered by the many experiences, passions, and interests in my life. Faith, family, science, music, art, cooking, hiking, nature, and cities have influenced and shaped my evolution. I create images from a variety of subjects, techniques, and processing methods which parallels my diverse experiences and interests. My formal education and most of my professional work experience is in the field of science, with an emphasis in scientific instrumentation.
The camera is in essence a scientific instrument that collects light with spatial accuracy. Light is the common element in photography, but I am drawn to various degrees of darkness. The darkness exposed as shades, tones and shadows is what brings out form and texture, which in turn, enhances the light.
At a surface level, I photograph things. I believe a common thread within humanity is a sincere appreciation for inanimate things. Landscapes, buildings, jewelry, flowers, and art are just a few of the things many of us admire. My intent is to convey my imagery of objects that move me. The resulting image is often not exact documentation, or always easily coherent, but a manifestation of my vision that results from a personal connection.
The similarities and contrasts between natural and human designed environments and objects is a common theme in my work. My experiences and visual preferences are the cerebral elements that mix with the mysterious elements which spring from the soul to produce my imagery. I believe this mixture combined with passion and effort is what bridges the gap from scientific instrument to finished image.
Bio
Mark Walker’s formal education is in chemistry, with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees earned from Texas State University and The University of Texas at Austin, respectively. He then worked as a research and development chemist in the industrial coatings business. Mark is primarily self-taught in photography, but has taken a digital photography course at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and subject specific courses at the Houston Center for Photography. His passion for photography developed out of his love of hiking and backpacking in the mountains, canyons, and deserts he visited primarily in the western U.S. Initially his photographic interest was classic landscape, hoping to convey the awe he felt of the scenery he experienced. This interest later expanded to cityscapes, long exposure, and abstract, and continues to evolve. His current artistic musings are comparing/contrasting the natural world to that created by humans, the impermanence of both worlds, and the essence and meaning of the human spirit. Mark lives in Katy, TX with his wife and two daughters.