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MARK STOPFORTH

Biography

Growing up in the Fens of East Anglia, the sublime landscape of Mark Stopforth's childhood left an impression on him that is still relevant to his work today. Recently, it's the vast immersive spaces of wild moorland and river estuary that have consumed Mark's imagination, which he powerfully evokes through charcoal, pencil, oil and chalk.

His influences are many and varied, including the calligraphic paintings of Cy Twombly, the tonal ink paintings of Hasegawa Tohaku and the landscapes by Constable, Claude, Cotman and Turner.

Mark has exhibited around the country, most notably on a number of occasions at the RWA in Bristol. He has also found success as a published poet, being shortlisted for the Brit Writers’ Award in 2012 and winning Fleeting Magazine's International Best Short Writing prize in 2010.

Writing has been put on the shelf for the time being, though it is present in some of his works' titles. 'Painting is my all consuming passion and is always a search for the next piece that’ll talk to me,' he says.