Mark Powell does not work with common surfaces to create ballpoint pen drawings and illustrations. He uses vintage envelopes, newspapers and maps to create his imaginative portraits of people and animals.
This way, he imbues his works with a greater story, focusing on both his drawing and the paper he uses. Combined, they complete each other, allowing the viewer to create a story of his own.
“The canvas I have chosen has a history and a hint of a story, much like the faces that I choose to draw. They compliment each other and I hope leads the viewer to wonder, and maybe create, a history for the two. I rarely connect the portrait and ‘canvas’ as they are both strangers to me.,” he explains.
