Most of my artwork is dependent upon the visible world immediately around me.

My numerous sketch books attest to my obsession with drawing anything in my environment. Even the simplified forms around me when confined to a flat surface impress me with a new found essence. The reality that arises from extracting forms from nature fuels my creative process encouraging me to compose with shadow and color.

My work is purely visual; if it does not arrest the viewer by itself without a verbal explanantion, I consider it ineffective.

Mark Mulfinger's mastery of his trade began with private art lessons at the age of seven. His incredible and natural gift led him on to a life-long obsession of capturing the created world.

He holds an M.A. in Studio Art and currently free lances full-time. He also teaches painting, printmaking, drawing and batik.

After a number of years of focusing on batik as his main medium, Mulfinger discovered linocuts as a "sister medium." The progression from light to dark values parallels that of batik, with the advantage, in the "new" field of printmaking, of several individual, original pieces. In addition, linocuts with their layers of color, averaging twelve in depth, provide a rich, tactile presence akin to oil painting.

Mulfinger executes his linocuts using the reduction method of printing. After each printing of color, the plate is cut away until the final, darkest skeletal lines remain. By definition, this process decrees an intrinsically limited edition--usually between 20-50 original, hand-cut, hand-rolled, hand-pulled pieces. This qualifies them for, in collector's parlance, a "rare" designation.

Mulfinger resides with his wife and five children in the Blue Ridge Area of South Carolina.

"Mark's mischievous, good-natured zeal for life combined with a cultivated respect for form, color and pattern consistently result in enchanting work. It's like Peter Pan meets Van Gogh." — Bryan Martin, Brains on Fire