About
My Background
My Inspirations
My Background
When I was in preschool, my favorite time of day was when I was allowed to draw portraits of my classmates and teachers. As I got older, this love never faded and eventually was fortunate to study with Richard Lack and Pietro Annigoni of Florence.
My Mediums
My Inspirations
My Background
I use many different mediums, such as egg tempera, oils, buon fresco and watercolors. I believe that working in a single medium is restrictive to my artistic process. Each idea manifests in its own individual style and reopens the spirit door.
My Inspirations
My Inspirations
My Inspirations
Portraiture has always been my first love. I am inspired by the human spirit and the connection to that through the art of portraiture. Also I am inspired by the decoration of interior spaces through the ancient and permanent art of buon fresco.
New Works in Progress
"Two of Us, Across the Universe"
"Two of Us, Across the Universe"
"Two of Us, Across the Universe"
“Two of Us, Across the Universe”
In a dream, I saw this image and when I awoke, I felt called to paint it.
Last spring I created the charcoal drawing. Now the painting is nearing completion.
I believe that reality contains possibilities other than what we currently perceive and that perhaps in some parallel universe, Paul McCartney and John Lennoncontinued making music together as they grew older.
This painting represents John as he arrives at his 80th birthday, 40 years since his death in our time. Both Paul and John wear their age and time together.
As individuals, we are unique and bring diversity to the world. However, when two individuals come together, they often realize more than each could on their own. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. In the music world, we recognize the creative power in the union of artists such as Lennon and McCartney, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Simon and Garfunkel—and the list goes on.
The “Two of Us, Accross the Universe” celebrates this timeless power of two—and perhaps offers a window into an alternate place and time.
"Two of Us, Accross the Universe”
50 1/2 x 38 1/2 inches
Tempera Grassa on gesso panel
Mark Balma
2020
Women of Faith Frescoes
"Two of Us, Across the Universe"
"Two of Us, Across the Universe"
A major new fresco cycle is being created by renowned fresco painter Mark Balma and a team of international artists. The size of the church is similar to the Sistine Chapel.
For the first time in religious art, this fresco cycle brings to the forefront ten historical women from the Torah, Bible and Quran inspiring faith, hope and love through their example.
This is a preliminary detail study of the portrait “Eve" for the first fresco panel to be painted in the Women of Faith fresco cycle. A creative search for a new image and way to interpret the creation story from the Torah, Bible and Quran.
The image suggests that in the moment of creation of the heavens, earth, woman and man were created by God in the blink of an eye-all in perfect harmony., each interdependent on each other and composed of the same elements.