SPOOKY, SURREAL, AND UNUSUAL
With a creative eye and interest in spooky scenery, self- taught artist, Mark Rogers creates elaborate paintings and drawings that convey a narrative of mystery. His most recent body of work mixes American pioneers in the 1800s with extraterrestrials. While these two seem like an unlikely pair, Rogers is able to combine them into beautifully surreal scenes. Even though his work features extraterrestrials, Rogers’s work is not a commentary on alien conspiracy theories, but rather paintings that come simply from his imagination.
Roger’s painting, “Tea Time” is an example of the elaborate narratives that stem from his imagination. Prominently featured on the homepage of his website, “Tea Time” uses earthy tones in order to bring two unlikely characters together in an unusual setting. The painting depicts a grey alien seated in a large wooden chair, drinking tea. Across from him is a robot of the same color grey, with a skull face, waving his elongated, metal arm toward the alien as if it is asking for a high five. The alien looks unamused with the robot’s effort. Rogers brings this narrative together visually, by strategically matching colors. He uses greys, browns, yellows, oranges, and greens in almost all elements of the painting. His strategic use of color allows the viewer to see a connection between everything in the composition, even though the elements do not necessarily go together.
The background brings together elements of space and earth, just like the robot and the alien. In the background there are brown mountains that sit underneath heavy layers of clouds. In the clouds there are different planets visible, which allows the scene to convey an unearthly message. The dirt ground also resembles the surface of what could be viewed as a different planet, but it gets greener as it approaches the subjects. The sprouting green grass and large flowers continue the contrast between space and earth, allowing the viewer to see earth-like nature closer to the subjects.
Mark Rogers has tons of beautiful paintings and drawings that share the same themes and ideas as “Tea Time,” and can be viewed on his website, along with prints available for purchase.
[+] MARK ROGERS
