Superyacht Design - Features - Mark Evans Interview

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		Mark Evans Interview By SuperyachtDesign. Dec 22, 2009 Artist Mark Evans (www.markevansart.com) was introduced to the superyacht world when he shared a stand at the 2008 Monaco Yacht Show with leather supplier Foglizzo, who regularly sponsor young artists to explore new and creative ways of working with leather. He produces captivating works of wall art using nothing more than sheets of full-grain leather, a variety of knife blades and some special waxes. SYD: What is your artistic background? ME: I grew up on a farm in the Welsh mountains. My granddad gave me a knife when I was seven and I used it to carve images into tree bark. I've also drawn with pencils since I was a boy. In my twenties I went on to study Fine Art at Middlesex University in London. For years I was working with conventional materials such charcoal, oils, acrylics, etc., but I couldn't shake my childhood desire to play with knives. Cleaning a bloodstain on a leather jacket was the spark that led to my first ever leather etching. SYD: What is it about leather that appeals to almost everyone? MW: Leather has both practical and aesthetic appeal. Leather is ancient, yet ultra cool. Leather has heritage, yet it is also rock ‘n’ roll. Leather gets better with age and is easy to clean. It's a great waterproofing material and has amazing sound-insulation qualities. Leather is masculine - from Spartans and gladiators to the Wild West and gunslingers - but it is also feminine and sensual. And, of course, in a plastic, synthetic, nano-silicon world, leather is authentic. Leather was once a living, breathing creature. I think we subconsciously respect that. Maybe our hunter-gatherer roots somehow resonate with leather - an ancient echo from our early ancestors. A hungry man is drawn into a bakery by the smell of fresh bread; so too authentic leather has it's own beautiful aroma that appeals to us. Like good coffee, or grass-cuttings. The scent evokes something in us. SYD: Is what you do an "undiscovered" art form, or does it have a historical precedent? ME: Both. I discovered this technique by pure chance. I had no reference points but my own experiments and a fusion of my own alchemy and artistry. I have pioneered this technique and turned it into a new art form and am the only person in the world working with leather in this way. I have lived leather for the past decade or so, but only now discovering that leather art was an ancient tradition. There are rare, exquisite historic works in leather. Not many, but they can be found. SYD: Where do your source your leather and how is it treated? ME: My leather is sourced from all over the world. The best hides come from Scandinavia, where the cattle have lush pasture and no barbed wire fences to cut or snag their skin. My hides are usually aniline, or semi-aniline, full-grain leathers. I use many different types of treatment depending on the job. For aviation and marine use the hides need to be treated for resistance to fire and salinity. I also have my own secret formula that aids the hand-etching process. Related Links: Mark Evans - Company website

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