Mark Saenger Profile
An independent artist and a charismatic teacher, Mark Saenger maintains a studio in New Jersey. He is a recipient of various awards, including the prestigious Copper Beech Foundation Award, from the Ridgewood Art Institute's 26th Annual Juried Art Show. The winning painting, The Canal in Winter is shown on the left with Mark. A phone call from the HBO show, “The Sopranos” requested that his art be featured in the 2001 season. He has made appearances in numerous shows and is a member of various art associations. He aspires to maintain the respect and friendship of his peers in the art world.
Saenger’s approach to painting is both personal and accessible. The humility of spacious landscapes reflects his down-to-earth personality. His classical influences include the vast snow-scapes of A. T. Hibbard; the large, aggressive strokes of Van Gogh; the strong, poetic brushwork of Edgar Payne’s landscapes; the bold strokes and thick layers of Russian Expressionists; as well as the precision of Sargent and the broken color oils of Claude Monet; Saenger strives to depict the illusion of detail through minimal brush-strokes, while the objects of his inspiration—the changing seasons, riverbanks, mountains, fields, and hillsides—are captured through the sensitive values of every passing hour. Saenger’s goal is not only to stop time and capture a certain light effect or condition, but to ensure that the viewer can feel the warm glow of the sunset, or the bitter cold of winter.
|
|
|
As a beginning artist himself, many years and grey hairs ago Saenger was initially motivated to paint by a college art professor who advised him to “stick with it.” The paint-along artist, Bob Ross seen on TV, fascinated Saenger. He took a workshop with this popular personality only to find, to his disappointment, but more to his benefit, that nothing which looks so easy could be achieved without commitment and skill. From thereon, he began a rigorous study of the techniques of art, having to spend long hours behind the easel and miles of canvas. He has studied with some of the most notable landscape artists: Matt Smith, of AZ; Scott Christensen, of ID; Kevin Macpherson of NM; Ralph Oberg, of CO; Ken Auster of CA; and many others. Saenger experienced the most growth as an artist under the tutelage of John Phillip Osborne, of NJ, who explained advanced techniques such as the prism of light, how it affects landscape, and “why” things appeared a certain way in nature; Osborne encouraged Saenger to solve problems and evolve as an artist.
Saenger continues to conduct workshops throughout the NJ, NY, PA area, since 1995, helping beginning and intermediate artists develop technique and talent. He is represented by several galleries and sold to private collectors in the U.S. and abroad.
