About the Artist

Mark B. Cleveland (American 1957-) is a contemporary plein air inspired artist exploring the unique beauty and connection we share in everyday life in contemporary urban and natural landscapes. Voted Top 100 finalist in Plein Air Salon's competition 4/24. he is best known for gritty street level urban cityscapes which capture a legacy of perseverance and nostalgia. His work echoes the “Ashcan School” of Post-Impressionist American Art. which employs traditional use of underpainting and glazing techniques in oil to create a rich depth of color and perspective in otherwise unlikely settings.

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An avid fly fisherman, he began his career by contributing detailed illustrations to outdoor fishing magazines. A graduate of Northwestern University, he attended classes at the “American Academy of Art" where he focused on use of color and composition. During the pandemic the artist learned the traditional techniques used "en Plein Air" alongside Chicago's renown Master painters at the Palette & Chisel Academy and Plein Air Painters of Chicago. He is also an accomplished stained glassier which heavily influences the way he captures the spiritual element of light in his work.

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As a young man he was adopted by a Native American spiritual elder who encouraged him to explore that part of his heritage. This passionate and rich journey led to decades of service to the Native American Community, an intimate immersion in wilderness and Indigenous culture. This foundation continues to influence his work.

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With over 100 works placed and hundreds of prints sold, Mark's work is collected by followers and carried and sold by galleries across the United States and internationally. 

Affiliations & Roles

Director Evanston Plein Air Festival 2022-3

Exhibitions Manager & Co- Director: Plein Air Painters of Chicago, 2021-3

Judge: Prairie State Plein Air Competition 2023

Member: Oil Painters of America, Palette & Chisel Academy of Chicago, the Northshore Art League, Trickster Native American Cultural Center, Evanston-made

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In the Media: 

• Facebook & Instagram: @markclevelandart

• Honorable Mention: "Let's Get Lunch" Prairie State Plein Air Competition 2022 Judge’s Notes: This painting is very inviting, friendly, and has a welcoming mood. An excellent blending of realism and painterly interpretation. A nice study of how to capture hard architectural surfaces. Good light/shadow pattern creates solid dimensional shapes https://www.prairiecenter.org/programs/prairie-plein-air

• The art of making art: "What he discovered was amazing beauty and untold stories all around Evanston." inspiration and method" Oct 11, 2021 Jean Cunningham

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• The captivating creativity of Mark Cleveland. "when you put something out in the universe that you’re supposed to do, you’re finally answering something, and then it kind of grabs you and takes hold." July 26   

 

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