Mark Reep

"Home Is The Sailor"  Charcoal, Graphite  5 7/8" x 3 1/8"

"Last Bell"  Charcoal, Graphite  4" x 6"

"Abandoned Waterworks 2"   Charcoal, Graphite; 11" x 6"

"Abandoned Waterworks"  Charcoal, Graphite  6" x 10"

"Point of Grace"  Charcoal, Graphite  8 1/2" x 11"

Much of contemporary art is unabashedly cynical. As a matter of fact, romanticism hasn't really been accepted as proper company since the dawn of the twentieth century (and even then it was being shown the door). But amateurs and non-artists have always been more honest about it's innate appeal even if they're sometimes unable to distinguish quality from mediocrity. I've always had a soft spot, or maybe more of large soft swath, for this kind of thing. Perhaps in this post industrial age when comic books and high fantasy have entered the main stream, the fine art world ought to take a second look. Okay, that's not going happen. But still, there's some exquisite work out there worth looking at. Case in point, the self-taught Mr. Mark Reep. Some of the work can teeter precariously on the edge of new age corny, but a rule of thumb when viewing art is to always judge an artist by your favorite pieces, not your least. What does work here is sublime. The images are imbued with narrative although the characters are locked away in their island sanctuaries or have mysteriously abandoned their extraordinary works. He creates scenes that draw us in, inviting us to imagine another place, somewhere, some other time. The drawings themselves are often tiny, the technique highly meticulous and detailed. One gallery apparently provided a magnifying glass for its viewers. That kind of intimacy can cast a very powerful spell.
You can see more at his website: markreep.net or at www.bluecanvas.com/markreep
You can aslo follow his blog: markreep.blogspot.com