Mark Burrell

Critical Appraisal

In a career now spanning several decades, Burrell has exhibited his paintings throughout East Anglia, London, and the USA, receiving much critical acclaim, including the following -

Burrell's work is obsessive and probing, revealing underlying elements that question ones sense of self. A psychotic surrealism that is a refreshing assault on ritualised aesthetics The paintings by Mark Burrell convey rare command of a very peculiar and very English painter, for Mark is essentially a story teller who employs pigment rather than words to construct allegories, fables and fictions. His fantastic narratives are as much concerned with plot, setting and character as they are with line space and colour. …(His) paintings are colourful and often very personal, and at times very mysterious indeed, these paintings can be looked at again and again, there are touches of humour as well as the darker side of life, from strange green beings growing out of bushes, communing with ghosts, to sheep in fields flying. Mark paints symbolist figurative oils with psychic, religious or political themes, often dealing with intense states of mind or emotion, a highly patterned world in beautiful states of decay.

Media Appearances

Burrell has frequently appeared on British TV including-

* Anglia Television Programme – Coastal Inspiration's Interviewed in Studio and Work Exhibited Series Lowestoft * BBC2 TV Programme Matter of Fact Cabbage Patch War (Nov 1996) * Anglia Television – The Front Row Paintings Exhibited (Nov 1995) Presented by Shaun Meo *Anglia Television Programme Moving Art Awarded First Prize. Presenter George Melly, interviewed by Sister Wendy Beckett and prize awarded by Bill Oddie (November 1991). * Anglia Television Programme – Personal Interview and Paintings Exhibited (August 1991)

Exhibitions

1987

The Royal Academy, London – Summer Exhibition

1988

The Mall Gallery, London. Britain’s Painter’s ’88 Central Library, Great Yarmouth – Four-Man Show Christie’s East Anglia, Cley Mill Appeal Assembly Rooms, Norwich, Norfolk

1989

The Fermoy Gallery, Kings Lynn – Eastern Open and Tour The Contact Gallery, Norwich, Norfolk – An Intensity of Vision, Four-Man Show The Castle Museum, Norwich, Norfolk – Norwich Artists The Chappell Gallery, Essex – Summer Mixed Exhibition The Advice Arcade Gallery, Norwich, Norfolk Norwich Twenty Group Exhibition, Norwich, Norfolk Norwich Union Headquarters, Art Auction Centre – In Aid of Third World

1990

The Regent Road Art Gallery, Lowestoft, Suffolk The Chappell Gallery, Essex, One Man Show Centre D’Art Contemporain, Rouen, France The Knapp Gallery, London The Halesworth Gallery, Halesworth, Suffolk – Three-Man Show The Norwich School of Art, Norwich, Norfolk – Norwich Artists The Boundary Galleries Summer Exhibition, Cransford, Suffolk The School House gallery, Wighton, Wells-Next-to-Sea, Norfolk

1991

The Eastern Open, Kings Lynn The Boundary Gallery Easter Exhibition, Cransford, Suffolk The Picture Place, Lowestoft, Suffolk Open Studio’s, Eastern Arts The Chappell Gallery, Essex Royal Over-Seas League London – A View Of the New Exhibition. Awarded the ‘Lucy Morison Memorial Prize’ for an oil Painting Norwich Artists Group, Annual Exhibition Kings Lynn Art Centre Norfolk and Norwich Festival – Open Studios The Boundary Gallery Summer Exhibition & Xmas Show, Cransford Suffolk The Splinter Gallery London – First Showing

1992

The Mall Gallery, London- Wilde Contemporary Art The Splinter Gallery, London- Painters today The Boundary Gallery Summer Exhibition, Cransford Suffolk The Gallery 74, South Audley St, London -Wilde Contemporary Art The Cork Brick Gallery Summer Exhibition, Bungay The Boundary Gallery Autumn Show, Cransford Suffolk The Regent Road Art Gallery – Summer Exhibition, Lowestoft, Suffolk The Chappell Gallery, Essex – Two-Man Show The Cork Brick Gallery Christmas Exhibition, Bungay The Chappell Gallery Christmas Exhibition, Essex

1993

Contact Gallery, Three-Man Show (The Human Condition) Regent Road Art Gallery – Summer Exhibition, Arts Forum The Chappell Gallery, Essex, Summer Show Gallery 12 B Fredrikstad, Norway – Mixed Exhibition The Boundary Gallery, Cransford, Suffolk The Gallery, 44 Aldeburgh, One Man show

1994

The Eastern Open, Kings Lynn – Painting Highly Commended Regent Road Arts Centre, Lowestoft, Suffolk – One Man Show The Corpusty Gallery, Corpusty, Norfolk Three-Man Show The Fruit Market Gallery – 7th National Award, Edinburgh & Sotheby’s, New Bond Street, London- The Spectator

1995

Le Chat Noir Gallery, Mayfair London LOGOS Art Gallery, Bloomsbury, London The Mall Galleries (Discerning Eye) London Julian Spalding – Art Gallery & Museum Director Glasgow, Oriel High School, Gorleston, Norfolk Art’s Forum, Regent Road Art Gallery, Lowestoft, Suffolk Norwich Castle Museum – Norwich, Norfolk

1996

The Eastern Open, Kings Lynn The Arts Centre, Lowestoft – (Various Dimensions) The Advice Arcade Gallery, Summer Exhibition, Norwich, Norfolk The Gallery, St George’s Street, Norwich Art’s Forum, Regent Road Art Gallery, Lowestoft, Suffolk Seagull Theatre, Lowestoft – Works with Children on Mural Halesworth Gallery

1997

The Minories Art Gallery, Colchester The Laing National Arts Competition, Raveningham The Eastern Open, Kings Lynn Arts Centre St Margaret’s Gallery, Norwich. Works of the Imagination Chappell Galleries – Christmas show, Essex

1998

Chappell Gallery, Essex – One Man Show Art exhibition, Lowestoft Library, Lowestoft, Suffolk The Yoxford Gallery, Yoxford Cottons Yard Gallery, Yoxford Halesworth Gallery, Steeple End Old Stable Gallery, Diss Raphael Gallery Open Studios – Raphael Gallery

1999

Chappell Gallery, Essex – One Man Exhibition (extended) The Eastern Open, Kings Lynn – Painting Highly Commended Open Studios, Lowestoft, Suffolk British Artists – The Jarvis Centre, New York Art Expo 99, New York City, America Work exhibited in Holland Lowestoft Town Hall, the Council Chambers, Lowestoft Suffolk Suffolk Open Studios, Lowestoft, Suffolk The Red Dot Gallery, Ipswich, Suffolk Artists Gallery, Electric House, Ipswich

2000

The Eastern Open – Kings Lynn Open Studios, Lowestoft, Suffolk Halesworth Gallery Yoxford Gallery, Yoxford Electric House Gallery, Ipswich Buckingham Galleries, Southwold – Summer & Christmas Show The Affordable Art Fair, London Galerie de Vis Noorderhaven, Holland The Discerning Eye – The Mall Galleries, London Geneva Gallery – Lowestoft, Suffolk

2001

Galerie de Vis Noorderhaven, Holland Gissing Hall, Gissing ‘Portrait Works’ The Open Studios, Lowestoft, Suffolk Blackthorpe Barn, Roughman The New Wosley Theatre, Ipswich The John Russell Gallery, Ipswich

2003

Cork Street Gallery,London Galleriart – Kirkcudbright, Scotland Williamsburg Historical Art Centre, New York, America

2004

Open Studios, Lowestoft, Suffolk

2005

Ferini Art Gallery – Original Drawings and Paintings for the Book The Iron Bridge by John Ward The Warehouse – Lowestoft, Suffolk – Summer Show The Forum, Norwich Norwich Market The Open Studios, Lowestoft, Suffolk The Eastern Open -Kings Lynn

2008

Norwich Castle Museum Open Art Show. A Portrait of Big Jon and the Bubblegum God’s Christmas Open Studios, Lowestoft, Suffolk The Cut Halesworth – Original Drawings and Paintings for the Poem The Iron Bridge, by John Ward. Ferini Art Gallery – Three-man show The Cut Halesworth – Christmas Art Show, a Prize Winner of ‘The People’s Choice‘

2010

Ferini Art Gallery: Christmas Show & Eastern Open Kings Lynn

2011

Assembly House Art Show 2011: Flying Colours Fascinating Forms, Painting Exhibited The Fish Stall – In Memory Norwich Castle Museum – Open Art Show 2011: A Portrait of Big Jon and The Bubblegum Gods Norwich Playhouse Two man Show- Peter Rodulfo and Mark Burrell Ferini Art Gallery: Summer Show

2012

West Halls Secret Postcard Auction: Patron, Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Cambridge. Others Exhibitors included the Prime Minister David Cameron, Nick Clegg, Twiggy, Maggi Hambling, Bernard Hill, Tessa Newcomb

2013

Assembly House Art Show: Arts Alive Norwich, Norfolk

2014

Ferini Art Gallery Pakefield - One-Man Show December 2014 Suffolk Open Studios June 2014 Ferini Art Gallery Pakefield – Artist in situ and also showing as part of the SOS East Anglian Art Trail The Coconut Loft Cafe and Art Gallery – Lowestoft Suffolk Great Yarmouth Library – Two Man Show with Peter Rodulfo

2015

Craft Co, Southwold, Suffolk 4 -28 September

Links

'Masks and Layers' a portrait of Mark Burrell by Ferini Films

Mark Burrells 'The Homing-ground' - All aboard the British transcendent locomotion.

Mark Burrell Art - Home Page

Mark Burrell: North Sea Magical Realist artist extraordinaire