from verbicide 18
the rise of reason
Mark Hosford Explores The Trials Of Mara Through Printmaking
>>text BY lisa rierson >>artwork by mark hosford

I have not, since my first peek of John Webster or Poe in early high school, had a taste for macabre inclinations or perspectives. I have, however, quite a taste for anyone who can wrap me up in a dimension of their life that is more about the human experience than about shock value. I am drawn toward that ever-penetrating sensation that comes with someone putting their most treacherously critical times out there for people to visit and acquiesce. I appreciate sincerity in art and it is really what brought me around to revisit Mark Hosford's work.

Hosford’s work was the first that I came upon when moving to Nashville in 2002. I had stumbled into Cumberland Gallery, one of Nashville's finest options for viewing art, desperate for some inclination that there was a living, breathing art community here. Seeing Hosford's work immediately fueled my hope for the local art scene. His pieces from his Candyland Diary series were a part of a larger exhibit called “Small Packages.” Initially, it was his style, tight presentation, and technically meticulous printmaking skills that caught my attention. Through subsequent viewings, though, I started to yearn for more. I still valued him as a stylistically gifted artist — I just wasn't feeling any emotional charge. I wondered what was the next step, and I wondered if there was going to be a maturing of content to match the technique.

My wish came true and Hosford created the Trials of Mara series — in my opinion, his strongest body of work next to his silhouetted figure prints. Basing his title for the series on Mara, the symbol for distraction, disaster, delusion, and obstacles for Siddhartha Gautama, Hosford sets a stage that provides a deeper look into some dark, personal days of his own and, incidentally, taps a communal nerve in his audience.

As he sat in deep meditation, Mara, Lord of Illusion, symbolizing the delusions of one's own mind, tried tirelessly to distract him from his purpose. Gautama then touched earth, calling it to bear witness to the countless lifetimes of virtue that led him to this place of Enlightenment. The earth shook confirming the truth of his words. Mara unleashed his army of demons to distract and tempt him from his purpose, but Gautama triumphed over the inner obstacles and the power of his compassion transformed the demons' weapons into flowers. His mind was utterly subdued. - Tales of the Buddha

Two dead cats, a broken engagement, a flooded apartment, and a severe brown recluse spider infestation later, Mark created his most introspective series to date. The Trials of Mara show Hosford's struggle, which oddly enough all happened over the course of only a few months time, through a fantastically narrative approach — we can watch it as if it is a play unfolding; the scenes lay out for us each trial that, like Mara to Buddha, is being presented — how much more can you go through? How much more can you endure? What will you do with this? Will you destroy or create from your pain? Within each print we see the obstacle and the figure of guidance and wisdom pulling the boy through the rubble. In my favorite piece of the series, “The Rise of Reason,” we are shown a rebirth of sorts. The troubled boy, lifted high by his loyal guides and surrounded by memoirs of his trial, finds levity and clarity. It is good closure, and I'm always a fan of good closure.

When I asked Mark about his choice of imagery and whether he was interested in shocking his viewers, he related to me his childhood fascination with Hitchcock and other classic suspense horrors. His intent is not so much to shock viewers with sinister or disturbing imagery, but rather to find the deep seed within each person that initiates subconscious feelings and ideas. And, much like the delightfully macabre movies and tales from his childhood, his interest lies more in opening up and presenting sensations that allow you to feel a different part of your humanity — the part that might not be the most pleasant, but provides a direct route to emotions that we bury in our everyday lives.
Hosford masterfully creates imagery that sets you up for several hours of speculative reflection. The characters, all very doll-like in presentation, strike a childlike chord in the viewer, rounding out that deeper rumination for a stronger grasp at that corner in your mind that you may not visit altogether too often as an adult. This approach gives the viewer yet another chance to feel the sensations being placed before them. When we are faced with memories (even vaguely) from childhood we almost unwillingly become charged and fueled by something intense, beyond our control. It is a melding of our practical and seemingly unemotional adult side with the vulnerable and innocent side that we owned as children. Hosford's play on this juxtaposition deepens the experience of viewing his work and strengthens, I think, what each individual may derive from his experiences.

Mark Hosford is completing a new body of work entitled Ghost Stories, a masterfully executed series regarding our relationship with a spirit world. He can be contacted through the author or through his website, www.sugarboypress.com.

TOP TO BOTTOM :
The Departure, 2006
Showing the Sheletered Ones, 2006
Brown Recluse Boys, 2006
The Flood, 2006