How Does He Do It? Artist Mark Lague

We are so fortunate here at Huff Harrington to have a large and diverse stable of artists. Together they form a melodious collection comprised of contemporary and traditional subjects, oil and acrylic renderings, and technical and spontaneous compositions. We like to think our strength as a gallery lies in the uniqueness of these artists.

Reading in the Park, 30 x 30”

One of these artists, Mark Lague, is new to many people here in Atlanta, but he is renowned throughout Canada and the United States for his technical urban landscapes and realistic figures that capture a singular moment in time. He transforms everyday, mundane, and “normal” scenes into something extraordinary and dynamic. His compositions are layered, yet uncluttered. He works in the moment, which lends an element of spontaneity, yet the final painting that emerges seems to be laid out in an orderly fashion from start to finish.

In a Hurry, 10 x 8

Lague prefers to paint from life, but this is not always possible, so he uses digital pictures to capture the light, feeling, and movement of the scene he wants to paint later. From his memory and the pictures, he starts with a pencil sketch. Then he lays out the value pattern and composition, which relate to the placement of colors and objects. He wants his work to have a strong value foundation. He layers various shades of color into the painting in such a way that the composition grounds itself by having each piece of subject matter he paints complement whatever is around it. It fits together like a complex jigsaw puzzle. Based on this, the format for the final painting is already in place. The last thing he does is to insert darks and lights where they are needed.

City Shadows, 7 x 9”

Lague likes to work alla prima, which means he completes a painting in one single session. When he first started painting, he worked with watercolors, which he loved due to their transparency and immediacy. He began experimenting with oils in 2002 when he started painting his urban landscapes. He felt that the oil medium gave weight and depth to the work and was more appropriate for the subject matter. Oil paints also stay wet longer than watercolors, which dry immediately, so this allows him to continuously work on a piece for a few hours.

Boatyard Reflections, 7 x 9”

In terms of his subject matter, Lague paints scenes and people who don’t know that they’re watched. He wants to capture the true human experience and all of the raw, real, emotions that go along with this. He finds beauty in the ordinary - to him, all life, in all walks, shapes, and sizes, deserves appreciation and admiration. His interest in cityscapes stems from his desire to convey scenes that incorporate both motion and light. At any given moment from various angles, light will strike architecture and people in different ways, and Lague strives to capture the essence of the light in his work. The light in these same scenes is transformed into something even more spectacular at night or during a rainstorm, thus many pieces of Lague’s work reflect such scenes.

Alone at Paris Cafe, 30 x 15”

Although Lague is very detail oriented, his goal is to leave something unsaid with his work. Visually, his paintings may appear somewhat unfinished or perhaps not as fleshed out as they could be. Simplicity and conciseness are valued over an exact representational rendering. In terms of the message he conveys with his work, Lague leaves much open to the interpretation of the viewer. Who is this person? Where is this place? Why did he paint the scene the way he did? Lague creates an open dialogue with the viewer that they can engage in, with him, even when the artist is not present.

Waitress in the Sun, 24 x 12”

We are excited to be featuring new work by Mark Lague in our Grand Affair show, opening this Friday at 6 p.m. To truly appreciate his work, you must see it in person, so we hope you will come check him out (as well as all of the other lovely artists we'll be featuring). He is a tremendously talented artist, and he are honored to represent him here at Huff Harrington.

Tata!

Sarah