Mark Algar

I have always embraced my artistic side, beginning while I was in public school, with photography and building boats-in-bottles being my focus during my university days. I explored fibre arts and watercolours early in my adult life, before oil painting became my chosen medium over the last twenty years. Recently, I have completed the circle, with photography becoming more important, especially for reference photographs for my paintings. Boats-in-Bottles have become a recent focus, especially for the Rednersville Road Art Tour coming up this Labour Day weekend.

My corporate role gave me the opportunity to work on art only sporadically, but I benefitted greatly from moving with my family to the United States, New Zealand, and France. The rich resources and stunning cityscapes in Paris brought my brush to canvas repeatedly. The stories shared by the fascinating people I met and unique experiences I had during my travels across Canada, Europe, India, Mexico, and La Reunion Island stimulated the colorful memories that are reflected in my artwork, but now also in my boats-in-bottles. I was never far from the sea, with one memorable saltwater tour that lasted three months.

When I left my corporate job in 2017, I was excited to be able to invest considerable time in improving my drawing and my approach to creating art. These foundations supported the works that I continued to explore, some of which you can see on the Art Tour. Most of my art is created at my studio in Belleville, Ontario.