The Life of Mark Stock

Born in Frankfurt, Germany in 1951, the son of an Army officer, Mark Stock lived in many states across America before settling in St. Petersburg, Florida. He received his Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of South Florida in Tampa where he studied under Theo Wujcik. Upon graduating in 1976, Stock was hired to work at Gemini G.E.L. in Los Angeles as a lithographer. While there, he printed for notable artists such as Jasper Johns, David Hockney, Robert Rauschenberg, and Roy Lichtenstein before leaving to paint full time.

In 1977, Stock began studying ballet and modern dance. His work expanded to include designing sets for various Los Angeles-based dance companies. He started to paint the figure in 1983 and has become widely known for his narrative paintings.

From the 2000 book, Mark Stock: Paintings, by Barnaby Conrad III:

“Mark Stock's paintings connect viewers to the euphoria, loneliness and sometimes fatal entanglements of romance. Often melodramatic and tinged with irony, Stock's images illustrate love's power to provoke our best - and most illicit - behavior. A well-dressed voyeur peeks through a mansion window, silent and intent on the object of his desire. Picnicking lovers lock into each other's eyes. An attractive woman smokes a cigarette as she sits next to a man's corpse, which has been rolled neatly in a carpet, ready for disposal. A butler steals a moment to treasure lipstick left on a glass by the woman who employs him. Stocks paintings tell each character's story with remarkable clarity and, in many cases, with humor. A master of the realist narrative style, Stock uses color, shadow and line to amazing effect. Details in facial inflection, body language, and background tell you there's more going on here than rapture, scandal, and dangerous liaisons. These paintings keep you coming back for another look, for clues to life's emotionally charged moments."

Stock's works can be found in the permanent collections of The Brooklyn Museum, Museum of Modern Art (New York and San Francisco), The Library of Congress and The National Gallery.

Besides painting, Stock is a jazz drummer whose trio performs regularly. Also an accomplished magician and serious golfer, Stock was the Club Champion in 1997 and 1998 at the Sonoma Golf Club and currently holds the 2006 Club Champion Title at Metropolitan Golf Links in Oakland. He resides in Oakland , California.

 

Curriculum Vitae

Born

Frankfurt, Germany, 1951

Education

University of South Florida, Bachelor of Fine Arts

Selected Public Collections

Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts, San Francisco, CA
Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas
Brooklyn Museum
De Saisset Museum, Santa Clara, CA
Library of Congress, Washington, DC
Los Angeles Center Studios, Los Angeles, CA
Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Speed Museum, Louisville, KY
Tampa Museum, Tampa, FL
University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum, Rutgers, NJ

Set Design

1992 Los Angeles Chamber Ballet production of Sleepwalk
Ballet Pacifica production of Personal Statements-Common Knowledge
1990 Los Angeles Chamber Ballet production of So Nice
1989 Los Angeles Chamber Ballet production of Dmitri
1988 Los Angeles Chamber Ballet production of Orpheus-A Ballet-Opera in One Act
1986 Los Angeles Chamber Ballet production of The Little Prince
1984 Playwright Nancy Barr's Johnny Dakota Writes It Down
1981 Rudy Perez Dance Company production of Tracers and Take Stock

Scenic Art

1982-85 Painted scenery for films and television commercials

One-Person Exhibitions

2006 Palimpsest , Modernism, San Francisco
2005 Illusions, Modernism, San Francisco
2004 New Paintings , Modernism, San Francisco
2003 Nightfall , Earl McGrath Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2002 Teatro Zinzanni , Modernism, San Francisco
2001 Modernism, San Francisco
•  Armory Art Center, West Palm Beach, FL
1999 Suggested Evidence, Modernism, San Francisco, CA
1997 A Double Life , Modernism, San Francisco, CA
•  Paintings and Designs 1986-1996 , University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
•  Hollywood , Modernism, San Francisco, CA
•  Modernism, San Francisco, CA
•  State & Costume Designs for the Theater & Other Works on Paper 1977-1992, Modernism, San Francisco, CA
•  Susan Johnson Gallery, Tampa, FL
1990 Modernism, San Francisco, CA
1989 Modernism, San Francisco, CA
1989 Rosenthal Fine Arts, Chicago, IL
•  Modernism, San Francisco, CA
1988 Tortue Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
•  Modernism, San Francisco, CA
1987 Tortue Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
1986 California Contemporary Artist 32 , Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, CA
1985 Tortue Gallery, Santa Monica, CA
1981 Hirschl & Adler Modern, New York, NY
1980 University of South Florida, Tampa, FL

Awards

Distinguished Alumnus Achievement Award, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 1993

Publications

Mark Stock: Paintings by Barnaby Conrad II

 

For current events: Mark's Calendar

Mark – circa 1985, Los Angeles

Mark with "Boo" – circa 1986, Los Angeles

Brushes with no paint

Mark's residence Oakland

Walking the Ball – circa 1986, Los Angeles

Mark's residence Oakland

Mark Stock Trio: Mark with Chuck
Metcalf and David Udolf (l to r)

Mark in studio, The Viewer Series – circa 1987

Mark's residence Oakland

Mark levitating a dead president

 

 
home | paintings | biography | media | contact/info ® m.stock 2006 webmaster: a media