Oct 29, 2022 Submitted photos Niles native Mark Bush and his wife, Amber, now live in Columbus with their son, Jack.
He is a 2005 graduate of Niles McKinley High School and Trumbull Career & Technical Center.
He said the catalyst for becoming an artist was drawing cartoons with his dad, Mark Sr., when he was young.
Niles native Mark Bush has a gift that only a few artists can boast about.
Through hard work and education, Bush has transcended the ordinary to achieve the extraordinary.
He believes in the emotionalism theory of an artist’s piece. “The objective characteristics of fine art is the skillful use of light, shadows, a superior amount of detail, interesting color choices, a believable and appropriate perspective, an artistically pleasing composition and, above all, a high degree of realism,” Bush, now of Columbus, said.
At an early age, Bush drew cartoons with his dad and “that’s where the original spark began.” He liked to copy pictures of people and objects from comic books and Disney movies.
Along with getting books from the public library to read for educational purposes, he also would check out other books with drawings to bring home in order to practice and hone his craft.
He also practiced drawing more advanced caricatures through his grade-school days.
Bush, 35, spoke highly of his Niles McKinley High School art teacher, Phyllis Bako. “She was very inspiring, a fantastic artist and a huge part of my development.
Many others also felt privileged to be under her tutelage in the classroom.
She pushed every student to strive to reach higher standards,” Bush said.
When in his final stages of every piece of art, he said he hears Bako’s voice conveying constructive criticism and suggesting areas that may need improvement.
The process of his paintings is based on building layers of marks to create an image that looks real from a distance.
He takes photographs for reference then begins by rendering a black-and-white in acrylic paint to mix a full value range of gray.
His paintings start vague then become more realistic.
Bush said his project gets tighter and tighter by adding more and more detail. “It’s easier to adjust something rather than starting from scratch.
I start by getting the first layer in quick and simple, and that alone gives me a great base to work with,” Bush said.
While attending high school in Niles, he also attended Trumbull Career and Technical Center where he studied interactive multimedia and learned animation, professional photography, video production and more.
He said he used this instructional program to sharpen his art craft and possibly create animated characters for movies in the future.
After graduating in 2005, Bush enrolled at the Columbus College of Arts and Design.
After studying for one year there, he dedicated his future to the realistic painting and drawing major.
He entered a national competition and placed second, and was featured in American Artist Watercolor magazine as an emerging artist at the age of 19.
Because of that recognition, he was invited to show his artwork at one of the top galleries in Columbus , the Hammond Harkins Gallery.
He showed work there for over a decade.
He also has enjoyed shows in London (BP Portrait Award), Cuba and other countries.
In 2014, in the Fort Wayne Museum of Art’s Realism Biennial, he was awarded a Juror’s Choice award and the museum purchased the painting for its permanent collection.
His collections live in many esteemed art galleries, including the Pizzuti Collections, the Hilton Downtown Columbus Collection and the Greater Columbus Convention Center collection.
Bush has achieved a celebrity status also.
Some notables and celebrities have collected his works, such as Dwayne Wade, Gabrielle Union, the former mayor of Columbus and U.S.
Rep.
Tim Ryan.
In 2018, Bush was invited to visit Cuba to showcase his work and meet other artists there.
The trip also was designed to accomplish better relations between the U.S. and Cuba and build a stronger bond, starting with great artistic works from both countries. “This idea developed into some heartfelt communication with phone calls and art letters back and forth between the artists in both countries,” Bush said.
He again was invited to an art exhibition in Cuba in 2019 where two of his paintings were on display in an exhibit for the entire country to enjoy.
Bush, better known as Dad, and his young son, Jack, enjoy drawing simple cartoons and caricatures together quite often, just as Bush did with his dad.
He said his mother, Shirley, also has been inspirational and motivational through the years.
Bush said he has future aspirations to open his own art galleries in the Mahoning County area and in Columbus, and name them after his father, Mark Bush Sr.
He also would like to pay it forward by offering art classes for aspiring artists in his galleries.
His wife, Amber, said she realizes his passion and is behind him every step of the way.
Mark Bush’s artwork can be found on markbushrealism.com and on Facebook and Twitter.
To suggest a Saturday profile, contact Features Editor Burton Cole at bcole@tribtoday.com or Metro Editor Marly Reichert at mreichert@tribtoday.com.
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