Meet Mark Kang-O’Higgins / Marcas O’hUigínn| Artist, KOH Atelier Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mark Kang-O’Higgins / Marcas O’hUigínn and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mark / Marcas, why did you pursue a creative career?
Everyone is artistic or creative. It gets trained out of us over time.

I had always loved art but did the ‘sensible’ thing and went to university. I enjoyed learning but was not really happy.

I was doing a Ph.D on alternative energy research at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland when, after a year the department I was studying in said that due to a delay in their paperwork, on their end, they had lost my full-ride scholarship and I would have to change topics. I was too young to realize back then, that this was censorship and that their department sponsors didn’t like my research.

However, I had always been excited to do art and at that time someone asked me if I was to die in a year, what would I have wanted to have done as a career? Selfishly, and immediately my answer was art! I then enrolled in a small art school (The Leith School of Art) and I have never looked back since. Doing art is a great privilege that I am aware of and deeply appreciate.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

I do realist yet expressive drawings and paintings. To do this well one needs to be well versed in observational drawing and painting but also have the confidence and fluency to modify and abstract the images. Developing mastery in any skill set requires a lot of practice. I spent many years gaining the knowledge and skills that I use today. When I was training, I was usually the first in the door and the last to leave late at night.
I had a lot of single-minded focus. In some ways as a result, it was very hard, as you have to say no to other opportunities or distractions for years at a time. But in some ways, it was easy because when you follow your passion you become obsessed and the challenges are puzzles to be solved. It can become a joyous pursuit.

Lessons I have learned over the years: Take your creative work seriously but don’t take life too seriously.

Being an artist requires a zen like attitude to life. On the one hand every piece you do needs to be all important to you. You have to pour your heart and soul into it. And on the other hand, it is just another art piece. You will do many thousands more in the future.

You need to care enough to work your hardest and be wise enough not to be precious about your piece. You need to care enough about your art to put your all into it and at the same time not worry about what others think of it.

Artists always experience rejection, when applying to grants, show etc. but you cannot let this define your work. Eventually, as you pursue your practice people recognize its value.

I have a good studio practice and I direct the KOH Atelier: https://gageacademy.org/kang-o-higgins

I try to instill the same principles and philosophy in my students. Basically, work hard and enjoy it!

While I have a very dedicated art practice, I do not let that get in the way of the important things in life, such as family. I keep that time with family and my children sacred. I know some artists who spend their whole lives in the studio and have no time for anything else. I did this when I was younger and had no attachments. However, I learned early that it is important to keep a healthy balance.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

This is probably not the answer you want.

I would not take them into the city, except to spend time in the art museums and galleries (SAM, Figure Ground, Axis).

I would take them into the mountains or the woods and take in as much of the natural world as possible.
I have been lucky enough over the years to study animal tracking. I now teach it and run workshops also. When I am out tracking, I gather resources for landscape painting.

Tracking is akin to visual art and like art has no limits. There is always more to learn and discover about nature. If my friend had the patience, we would spend hours looking at the dirt or sign in the trees and ground, sneaking around following the lives of the creatures around us.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

Yoon Kang-O’Higgins, my wife who works in the arts herself and has always encouraged me in my career. She is always the smartest person in the room and I have always benefited from her advice and support.

There were many people who gave me encouragement and breaks along the way.

Phil Archer accepted me into the Leith School of Art, Edinburgh, when I applied without a portfolio (he gave me a sketch book and told me to fill it and return in a few months. I did.)

Michael Gormley at the New York Academy of Art saw potential in me and offered me a place on the Master’s program. Because of that I was able to study in NYC and become a working artist in America. Pamela Belyea and Gary Faigin gave me my first permanent teaching position at the Gage Academy where I still am today. Juliette Aristides amongst other local artists has been a great source of inspiration.

Website: http://www.kangohiggins.com/recent-paintings.html

Instagram: @markkangohiggings

Facebook: Mark Kang-‘OHiggins

Other: https://gageacademy.org/kang-o-higgins