About Mark de Mos

Mark de Mos, as an artist, his goal is to produce art that is alive, not static and that creates a drama (color story), a feeling, a slice of life. He believes in taking advantage of the medium’s strength, “In watercolor, it’s the fluidity, soft varying washes that can also, by color selection, create interesting textures (granulation) and edge control (soft, hard and lost). His goal is to create artwork that isn’t technique-driven but captures the essence of a given subject, instead of having a finished idea in mind that he just put down. He uses a reactive process that focuses on a subject or idea that intrigues him and has an interesting value pattern. As he paints, he reacts to what is on the paper as he sees the interesting color and tonal elements that will make it come to life. He believes it is the attention to color and the use of underpainting that defines his work. He applies colors in warm and cool variant and ‘bounce’ nearby or complementary colors into shadows and highlights to imply the movement of light.

Artist Statement

“My purpose is to capture creating sense of life and movement through color, light and multiple centers of interest.  Taking advantage of the medium and the effect of water, the white of the paper, and the different kinds washes, transparent against opaque passages with a fluid bold strokes that appear organic and true. That is the joy of watercolor, and what makes it different and more exciting than other media. Each painting is a puzzle, to find the right approach of color and design to create a personal statement, and a moment in time.”


Education:

BS in Chemical Engineering 1982 New Jersey Institute of Technology

Mark de Mos also studied with numerous artists including Robert Sakson, aws (wc), Frank Zuccarelli, psa (pastel), Gary Godbee (oil), Ed Havas, aws, Ferdinand Petrei, aws, Lee Hughes, Don Andrews, aws George James, aws (yupo), Ted Minchin, aws, Christina Debarry, psa, Jean Spicer, aws, Judi Betts, aws, Shirley Campbell (printmaking), Jeff Webb, psa, plus influenced by John S. Sargent, Joaquin Sorolla & Burt Silverman.

Publications:

Magazine feature article | “A Light Hand”, Watercolor Magic by Deborah Secor, August 2007 pp 24-29

Best of watercolor books | SPLASH 8: Watercolor Discoveries (1 image and descriptive caption)

Pub North Light Books | SPLASH 9: Watercolor Secrets (2 images and descriptive captions)

by Rachel Rubin Wolf | Watercolor Secrets: An inside look at the techniques of award-winning Splash Artists (2009) (full chapter pp88)

Exhibitions:

2023 NBAS Fall Watercolor and Mixed Media, Alfa Art Gallery, New Brunswick, NJ

2007 Nov One Man Show, River Garden Gallery, Denville, NJ

1995, 1998, 2000 Mar – Aug New Jersey Watercolor Society Open Juried Show

2000 Feb – Apr, Jun – Sep Garden State Watercolor Society Open Juried Show, Trenton, NJ

2001 Jul North East Watercolor Society International Open Juried Show, Kent, CT

2001 Apr – Aug Hudson Valley Art Association Annual Show – National Arts Club, New York City, NY

2005 Aug Allied Artists of America Open Juried Exhibition at the National Arts Club, New York City, NY

1998, 2007 “Interiors and Exteriors” (One Man Show), Swain Gallery, Plainfield, NJ

2006 – 2007 New Jersey Pastel Society Juried Show

2007 – 2008 “Living With Art” (invitational), Main Line Art Center, Haverford, PA

2006 Audubon Artists Annual Show, Salmagundi Club, New York City, NY

2004 – 2005 Baltimore Watercolor Society Open Juried Show, MD

2001 Salmagundi Club Non-Member Show, 5th Ave, New York City, NY

1976, 1980 Spectrum 76 & 80, (pen & ink) Juried Show Sponsored by NJ Arts Council


Artist Interview