Mark Walker Interview, by Patricia Hixson

Mark Walker is an unpretentious man, particularly for an artist known for his bronze work. He had several reliefs and statues, all in different stages of production, ready to be viewed and photographed when the Open Sesame Gallery crew arrived at his North Seattle home. It was evident, as he went from one piece to the next, explaining his various processes and influences for each, that he derives joy from sculpting. I dismissed my previous notions of conducting a linear, Q&A type of interview, and mostly just listened to Mark discuss his work.

Patricia: There are two recurring themes in your work, the Juxtaposition of Birth and Death, and Robots. Tell me what inspired those themes.

Mark: The baby heads and skulls? Those came from ideas from years ago. Skulls are something I had an affection for in college after taking Anatomy. The baby doll images…I did a baby doll image for my undergraduate work, on a six foot chair…a baby doll with a spoon in him…but he can’t eat from the spoon, he was too big, so he was going to die, and it was sad. But when both my boys had birth defects, I quit doing the dolls…I was creeping everyone out…and then when things got better and everything was OK, I got back into the dolls. 

This piece here was part of a skeleton, that was a model…and I dropped it…and the lower jawbone broke off, the top of the head broke off… it’s the armature now. I go into the kitchen one day and I see two forks in the sink and I think, “shit, why don’t you have the forks in the back of his head?” So, I’ve got one there and I’ll have another coming out here…and then there will be hummingbirds that will suck blood out of the heart. (See Mindwarp)  

Brian Despain, he does all these robots. I met him in Astoria, Oregon in a gallery; he had a show there where I had a couple pieces. We’ve collaborated on a few pieces…he likes to see his work in bronze. I can change anything, you know, I can alter all I want. 

Patricia: It seems like you use a lot of techniques, several processes.

Mark: I use a lot of found objects. I used a leaf for this piece. (See Lady Leaf)

This (wing) is a copy off of…I think his name is Eng? From Roger delivering Angelica…it’s a pretty famous painting…he’s got one of these on his shoulder…I copied him…I copy. I love to copy. I love to copy.  

Are you familiar with Triptych...on like, 15th, 16th century paintings? They’re very ornate, they have these crowns coming over them, like how this has. I’m pretty excited to get this bronzed. (See All Robots Go to Heaven)

I’ve been sitting at home for the last year and a half just pumping this stuff out…some clay, some wax, some in bronze. Some bronze I don’t have anymore; I sold a couple and given others to my High School students.

Patricia: You give away bronze?

Mark: I melt it (he says this mischievously). There are several bronze pieces I’ve melted and gotten another piece out of. It’s pretty cool…I just put it in a pot and melt it…but I don’t teach at Pratt anymore. I get SeaCast to bronze for me now.

I got a lot of inspiration from my students.

Patricia: Where did you say you taught?

Mark: Pratt Fine Arts Center. I got to teach what I love to do, then be given resources to cast, sculpt...Pratt…no other high school comes close as far as resources available are concerned. And the kids are GOOD! And they have no idea. They mean a lot to me, these kids have always been there for me.

Mark talks about his students often. His passion for teaching is apparent; the job allowed him to experiment with media and technique, and collaborate with young artists. Before the Covid Pandemic, Mark taught bronze casting at Pratt Art School for 24 years. Prior to that, he taught at Rockmount Studios and Bellevue College. It was one of his Pratt students that alerted him to the fact that one of his commissioned pieces had turned up in “Rolling Stone” magazine.

Mark: I did a commissioned piece for the Home and Away show, part of Pearl Jam’s summer concerts in 2018, memorializing Andrew Wood. It was at the EMP, but now may be in Pearl Jam’s warehouse. 

I’m a sci-fi, horror flick type guy. So one thing that bothers me is normality. When I show you the Pearl Jam piece, I’ll tell you about that, because it was pretty conventional. It was very conventional, and I had to change it up. And the Sea Life piece? I couldn’t stand it. It was too normal. So, I put frames on the Sea Life, and put crabs coming out of the framework with the Olympic mountains in the background, and it really is cool…and the octopus tentacles go off into nowhere…into seaweed…there was no way I could…I mean, it was conventional…I don’t know how people do it.

Patricia: So, you’re compelled to add sci-fi and fantasy elements, otherwise…

Mark: I couldn’t do it.

Mark points out details on the Andrew Wood memorial statue, details he put in place for Andrew Wood’s mother, who will receive a smaller version of the memorial after it is exhibited. He shows how he integrated names, dates and other numbers of importance into the piece.

Patricia: That’s difficult to spot, very well…

Mark: Yes, it’s hidden. I hide messages in all of my sculptures, even the commissioned ones.

Andrew Wood Memorial Detail

by Mark Walker

Mindwarp

an unfinished piece by Mark Walker

Deletion is Only Temporary

An Unfinished Relief 

by Mark Walker with Brian Despain

Lady Leaf

An Unfinished Work by Mark Walker

All Robots Go to Heaven

An Unfinished Relief

by Mark Walker with Brian Despain

Andrew Wood Memorial

A Commissioned Patina Bronze Statue

by Mark Walker