Some may not know that artist Mark Evans utilizes leather as his preferred medium of choice. Not only is it his medium, but he modifies, etches, and shapes the medium to create these visually stimulating works filled with imagery. Today, Evans no longer takes private commissions; instead, he now focuses on other subjects. Currently residing on a farm in St. Albans, Evans kindly took the time to answer a few questions with CHASSEUR.
What makes leather an appealing medium to work with?
Leather is a contradiction. It has both functional and aesthetic appeal. Leather is ancient, yet ultra cool. Leather has heritage, yet it is still rock n roll. Leather just gets better with age. Leather is masculine… from spartans and gladiators to Wild West gunslingers. And leather is feminine and sensual. Authentic leather has its own aroma that appeals to people…like good coffee, or grass-cuttings, the scent evokes something romantic. Leather was once a living, breathing creature. In a plastic, synthetic, digital world, leather is authentic. Maybe my hunter-gatherer roots somehow resonate with leather. Who knows… maybe an ancient echo from early ancestors? It’s knives & leather… I love how primal that is.
Some of the imagery in your work illustrates imperial symbols and figures—is this a commentary on the removed state of current society?
The early iconic portraits were done purely as experiments or prototypes. I was testing myself to see how photo real I could etch, how well could I execute images with only a knife? Carving an abstract image is relatively easy, but carving a portrait of a famous, iconic face requires a whole different level of skill. There’s no margin for error there. The Dollars, skulls and empirical symbols are all comments on money, death, greed, power and the modern excesses that people use to fill a spiritual vacuum. So yeah, in some way they are comments on us living in a removed state. Removed from what we could be, what we were meant to be.
Since you are no longer taking private commissions, what are some subjects that you’ve always wanted to focus on?
I’m not finished with using dollars and currency in my work, and I’m playing with new ways of telling an ancient story with modern currency. However I’m also starting a new series, I want to create pieces about a collision of ideals. I like images that turn on a preconception, for example Furious Affection (2011) and A House Divided (2013) both show an aggressive symbol inverted or subverted to show something with a very different meaning.
Many of your works have intricate effects that may surprise those that do not believe that leather is the chosen medium. Can you describe the process that goes into creating those effects?
My process has taken me over a decade to perfect. It takes an insane amount of patience and immense attention to detail, as I only remove less than a tenth of a millimeter of the leather surface. I have collected hundreds of different knives since I was a boy; blades, scalpels, pen-knives which I use to cut and slice through the layers of dark hide to remove just enough skin until I expose the varying tones of lighter tanned suede (or nap) beneath. It’s chiaroscuro, the balance of light and dark. My work is micro-sculpture but on a large scale and each piece can take months to complete. It’s surgical precision. I have to take my time because if I ever make a single mistake and slice through the hide I have to go back and start again from the beginning. What’s done cannot be undone, there’s no ‘Apple-Z’ ! Any cut or slice could go wrong, and so every piece is made, quite literally on a knife edge.
How do you source your leather work materials? Also as there any particular kinds that are easier to work with than others?
My leather is sourced from all over the world. The cleanest hides come from Scandinavia where the cattle have lush pasture and no barbed wire fences to cut or snag their skin. But if I’m making a darker, more violent piece I’ll choose a hide from South America where the animals are treated very differently. There the cows can be attacked by predators and get cut on razor wire. These wounds all make for great scars in the piece. My hides all get shipped and tanned in Italy. The Italians are the best in the world at tanning. I usually use Aniline or Semi Aniline, Full Grain leathers, but not all leather can be etched.
Are there any new textiles you would ever consider working with in the future?
Not really. I love leather, how it feels and what it symbolises. I don’t want to work in fabric, on canvas or etch in stone, metal or wood. They don’t interest me. I do get some complaints from the animal activists and PETA people, but what can I do? I’m not going to keep everyone happy. I have no current plans to start doing Quorn art! Etched vegetables or tofu just don’t have the same appeal.
Who and what are some influences that have fuelled your creative path?
I love the old masters, Caravaggio, Michelangelo, Van Gogh, Picasso. Big men working with big ideas, and who weren’t afraid to take risks and break the rules.
Any hints on as to what can we expect from Mark Evans?
My next series in 2014 is going to shock people.