August 2017

August Gallery Hop featuring the art of

Mark Flake and Rogelio Calvo

Mark Flake

Born in August 5, 1960 in Memphis TN, Mark Flake is painter, sculptor, composer, author, actor, and
filmmaker. He has a Master's Degree in Fine Art Painting from East Tennessee State University in
Johnson City and a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Art from the University of Memphis. He has lived and worked in Tennessee, Rhode Island, Georgia, Mississippi, Wyoming, Kansas, and North and South Carolina. His sculpture, "Venus Fly Traps" was recently chosen as one of 11 works to represent NC at the Hanes Organization's Inner Self location in Charlotte, and his film, "Rancho Mysterio" will play the Skidorama Grindhouse Festival in Kansas City this September. He has a dog called Charlie and duck named Pierre.

Rogelio Calvo

I find myself returning to the path of art after a break of over a decade. Traveling to the Amazonian jungle of Peru, and later overnight sailing off the east coast of Florida were my reawakening moments. I thought turning to art full-time might be the end of security, but it turned out to be the beginning of hope. Through the chaos of seeking to find my path, the muse showed me the beauty of humanity in the jungle. I realized I needed the positive outlook I saw on the faces of the Peruvians I met. They are optimistic and grateful to be alive. I wanted my art to do the same. It became a sort-of pseudo tribal affair with images and patterns. I am still in the constant search for positivity, simplicity, and authenticity.

Islands & Icons

The archipelago of San Blas off the coast of my native Panama, is the inspiration for my surreal land and seascapes, where infinite islands are home to iconic imagery from history, the arts, and popular culture. I hope the viewer can transport him or herself to attempt to resolve these images into some kind of transcendental memory of journeys perhaps never taken.