THERE ARE, ESSENTIALLY, THREE FORMS OF VISUAL ART. A painting is art we observe. A sculpture is art we can walk around, even touch. And architecture is art we can pass through and live in, protected from the elements.
Mark Carson English has at least two of these bases covered.
He also knows that art flourishes when the artist harbors a sense of adventure.
The uncommonly successful Nashville resident works in various media—abstract expressionism, impressionism, contemporary realism and contemporary pop—as well as in sculpture and design.
“I not really sure which of these is most rewarding for me, though I am especially drawn to abstract expressionism with a touch of representation,” he says. “It is more soulful. I have painted for so long, but I look at what I do as a blessing from God, not so much as a career. I feel like my work is just beginning, even though I have been selling for 40 years.”
English has created and sold an estimated 13,000 artworks, showcasing his talents in more than 950 solo and group exhibits across the country. He is represented by an array of established galleries and art dealers in the United States.
In February 2026, English will once again present his work at the annual Southeastern Wildlife Exposition in Charleston, arguably the largest and most respected compendium of wildlife art and demonstration in the nation. Other upcoming shows are slated for Atlanta in November, Miami in December and Jacksonville in January 2026.
As a fledgling artist, English went by the sobriquet “Marko.” And, while he later changed that to his proper name at the advice of an art dealer, old friends and collectors may still refer to him by the nickname.
English believes the chief advantage of being a self-taught artist is “the freedom from academic criticism.” And he has the latitude to approach art from an individual, unfettered perspective. His work has been characterized as eliciting feelings of passionate energy, with aggressive color and texture. It’s also been celebrated for his ability to capture the movement and expressions of his subjects.
In his notes for a show at SOLO Contemporary Fine Art, he cautioned new artists to maintain their freedom of movement, writing: “Don’t be put in a box. Why not push the creative process and challenge your mind with creativity! It will surprise you what the outcome will be. There is no wrong when creating.”
When asked about the most distinguishing features of his work today, his response is direct and unadorned: experience and maturity.
Born into a large family in 1966, English was raised in Knoxville. As a youth, traveling with his parents exposed him to cultures that would prove useful in his evolution and maturation as an artist. These travels included a significant encounter with the abstract artist Adamo, to whom English, then 7, was introduced by his father. “I was thankful to be able to travel and have wonderful memories and experiences,” he says. Many of English’s paintings reference personal memories and unique experiences from childhood. In 1983, while in high school, he showed his first artwork, a depiction of his girlfriend in a ballet motif done in oil on canvas. He sold his first piece at 16. English undertook art as a serious endeavor and his life’s work by age 22; by then he was already the father of three daughters.
His influences are many, among them LeRoy Neiman, Willem de Kooning and Murat Kaboulov. “I had the pleasure of meeting LeRoy Neiman 26 years ago in New York City and loved the interaction and spending time in a studio with him,” recalls English. “Although I did not have the pleasure of spending time with de Kooning, it’s been a pleasure spending time studying his work over the past 30 years. Murat Kaboulov painted with me in my personal studio.”
There have been no mentors as such, but English’s development as an artist has had many aesthetic inputs. “There have been so many artists I have painted with and attended exhibits with that have been influential,” he says. “I can learn from all artists. And some of my fond memories are creating art with colleagues over the last 40 years. But there is a big difference between painting with other artists and studying artists.”
English has not traveled to exhibit internationally as yet; he has been well occupied in the States alone. “The cost versus the reward was unjustifiable for an emerging artist, but in the last 20 years, I have had international collectors buy my pieces,” he says.
His paintings command impressive prices at auction. A recent small painting sale fetched over $10,000. In 2023, a larger piece drew $44,000, and one of his collectors from Long Island purchased a piece for $67,000—his highest-paying buyer. The artist also enjoyed the honor of exhibiting in Architectural Digest magazine’s exclusive MADE show.
English, now a youthful grandfather, does paint on commission from time to time, but prefers to call them “requests.” “This is due to the fact if I choose to do a piece, the customer and I agree on a price. I do not charge them upfront. I know that sounds unorthodox, but it’s just the way I do it,” he explains.
The power of resilience is an instrument in English’s philosophy of living as well as a signpost of his art, best crystallized by his comment during the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic. As he told his online audience: “If you face the sunshine, you will never see your shadow. Life can be tough and sad sometimes. We have to learn to look toward the sun and not let our shadows control us. Like sunflowers, we can come back larger and stronger.” *
Bill Thompson covers the arts, books and design.
