CREATE: Spotlight on Southern Artist Mark Boomershine

I’ve been a fan of Atlanta artist Mark Boomershine for several years…ever since I first saw his work at a wonderful vintage/consignment shop called the Savvy Snoot. It caught my eye because of the vibrant colors and the way he handled the subject matter. It’s playful and yet pays homage to the south at the same time.

The above work is part of a series entitled Barnyard Menagerie and I just can’t look at it without smiling. As a southern girl with farm roots, the barn painting is probably my favorite, but they are all so wonderful & fun. Sometimes when I tell people I majored in Art History in college, they assume I’m an art snob. Hardly! I just know what I like…what speaks to me.

While walking around the shop in Atlanta where I first saw Mark’s work, another fabulous painting caught my eye, but only on closer inspection did I realize it, too, was a Boomershine. The Rhett portrait is from the series called People I Grew up With and includes the likes of Wonder Woman, Clint Eastwood and others.

Any artist who feels that Gone with the Wind is good subject matter for a painting is tops in my book!

I see influences of Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg in Mark’s work…two of my favorite southern artists from the 1950s. Something about the vivid colors and use of text brings those two artists to mind.

You simply must visit Mark’s website and take a look around. I promise you won’t be disappointed. He graciously granted me permission to use his images and seems like a very cool guy.