Mark R Smith was born in Worcester in 1964, the only child of John and Maureen. Being the son of the accomplished Royal Worcester Artist, John F Smith, Mark’s love of drawing was inspired from a young age, watching his father at work. Wanting to follow in his footsteps, Mark aspired to train as an artist when he left school. The recession of the 1980’s however, meant many firms could not afford to take on a trainee artist, so Mark turned his hand to his other love – drumming.

He continued to draw for pleasure occasionally, until discovering his perfect medium, pastels, which added a new dimension to his work. Since then Mark has been developing his own style and enjoys working with a variety of subjects. Mark is married to Jan and they live in Droitwich Spa in the West Midlands.

Mark’s debut collection, “Pastel Memories”, was received with much acclaim by the public and art critics alike at his recent exhibition, resulting in a large number of commissions and a request to demonstrate his technique at the local Art Society. Mark’s vivid use of colour and thoughtful choice of subject material have resulted in a range of beautiful, evocative pastel paintings that transport you back to favourite holidays and fondly recalled childhood memories.