'I gate-crashed Gerald Scarfe's exhibition' Marc funnily exclaims- yet, as a young man, this was to be a defining moment in his artistic journey. After being so impressed with Marc's portfolio, Scarfe, who is known for designing Pink Floyd's 'The Wall' album cover, told Marc just how great he thought his work was- something which was caught on camera by the BBC! From there he opened a Gallery in Tenby and then began selling his stone carvings in London in a gallery near Tower Bridge - which were so popular he could scarcely make them quick enough. Yet, wanting to better highlight human expressions in his work, Marc started to sculpt using clay.
' I could scarcely make them quick enough... '
These sculpting’s, which were then cast in bronze (one, 'Urban Caesar', was bought by Singer and Friedlander Bank to display in their foyer), along with his various drawings, have since proved immensely popular and as a result have landed him in the Bath Society of Artists, The Cotswold Sculptors Association, exhibitions alongside the works of John Singer Sargent and Walter Sickert, a feature on BBC News. Even Channing Tatum’s a fan!
When it comes to creating such figurative pieces, Marc uses clay' malleability to bend reality by making almost incomprehensible stances look possible. Though, this can be difficult for his admirers - Andrew Graham for instance, an American figurative photographer, can never get his human models to replicate Marc's sculpting!
Sipping our coffees in a quiet café in Bath, where, inspired by the city's classical architecture, Marc has lived for some time, we move on to one of his work's most prominent themes - emotions. Aside from his bronze sculptures, Charcoal and ink - often in the form of diluted alcohol on Yupo paper - is one of his favourite ways of conveying emotion. This is because the textures and effects which can be created, often by Marc smudging the ink on the paper with his fingers, lead to a form of conceptual imagery which makes viewers question what they're seeing - but also what they're not seeing.
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