A Break In The Clouds (I Love It When She Smiles At Me)

What extraordinary beauty rests at the scene of our most perilous circumstance? Who among us would appreciate the splendor found amid the ruins of our near demise? In every great calamity there lies great opportunity or at the very least the chance to step outside of oneself and appreciate a perspective that may never have presented itself under normal conditions. For Mark Eisendrath it was a moment, not unlike this, that revealed to him his life’s work.

Photo by John Deamon, story by Justin Allen.

Mark Eisendrath creates art that is both unique in its construction and illusory in its appearance. Most of his work starts with either wood or paper. Upon completion, the pieces conceal their origin beneath the veil of his process. The work intrigues in that its true nature is often unexpected.

“Over the last ten years I have developed an emulsion which I use to cover my wooden objects and paper assemblages. I then grind pigments onto the recipe and ignite it. The heat liquefies the pigment and binds it to the emulsion, which becomes a permanent and archival coating to these works. Repeating the process instantly changes the appearance of the piece into something that seems ancient. Using the charring process on my raw wooden sculptures without the pigment and emulsion has also brought about unique results.” –Mark Eisendrath

Photo by Linda Johnson, story by Justin Allen.

Nobody Puts Baby In A Corner

Photo by John Deamon.

Clementine Remarks

The inspiration for Mark’s work stems from an event that had the potential for considerable tragedy. While returning from a vacation in Costa Rica, the small plane that he and his family were traveling in lost power, descended through the treetops and crashed into the jungle floor. Mark emerged from the wreckage and returned to assist the other passengers. Within the mangled remains of the plane Mark’s mother lay with a broken back, shattered pelvis and ankle and a severe concussion.

“When I pulled my mom from the plane I noticed all of these little embers falling down from the canopy and hitting the jungle floor. It was one of the most beautiful things I’d ever seen. They were covered in fuel and still smoldering and changing color and I just knew I was going to use that but I didn’t know how.”

After two years of physical therapy Mark’s mother recovered and after several years of experimentation in an attempt to capture what he’d seen during that pivotal experience, Mark established the method that would shape his current work. The resulting pieces are both distinct and engaging. The work invites the viewer to wander their imagination in search of the story of its origin.

Photo by John Deamon, story by Justin Allen.

We Are Not Here Very Long So We Might as Well Show Some Style

Photo by Howard Korn.

Light at the Edge of the Curtains

Photo by John Deamon.

…And The Devil Shook His Head And Smiled

Photo by Howard Korn.

A New Kind Of Thunder

Photo by Howard Korn.

Sculptural Maturity In The Natural World (A Walk In The Woods, Part 1)

Photo and story by Howard Korn.

You can see Mark’s work on display at the King Street Gallery at Montgomery College in Silver Spring through May 11 as a part of the current 3X2D: Themes and Variations of Organic Shape exhibition.

His next exhibition in Baltimore will at the Baltimore Conservatory Association’s upcoming fundraiser, Art Under Glass, on May 15 at the Baltimore Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.

To learn more about Mark Eisendrath visit his website http://www.markeisendrath.com.

Photo by Linda Johnson, story by Justin Allen.

Mark Eisendrath

Photo by Ben Eisendrath.