Mark Boedges
Award-winning Landscape Painter
Mark Boedges has, in a short time, amassed numerous awards and showcased his work in many galleries. He attended the University of Colorado, where he studied Fine Art. Preferring a more traditional approach to painting, Mark left the program after two years to study exclusively from nature. Painting plein air had become his sole focus, and it would remain so for many years. Eventually, wanting to apply more time and intention to his work, he took his expansive knowledge of the landscape, particularly the Western Landscape, into the studio and began to work on large luminescent pieces. He has more recently been exploring the personal and spiritual meaning behind the light found within his canvases, using the landscape as a means to express his joy and wonder at the reality we find ourselves in.
Mark has recently received Best in Show at the following shows: American Impressionist Society, Wayne Plein Air, Door County Plein Air, and Scottsdale Salon of Fine Art. Additional accolades include the Joseph Hartley Memorial Award at the prestigious Salmagundi Club in New York City, the Bohnert Memorial Award with the Hudson Valley Art Association, the Artistic Excellence Award with Southwest Art magazine, and the Grand Prize for Landscape, as well as a feature article with International Artist magazine.
Wayne Plein Air 2026 Juror’s Artist Statement
While I paint many different kinds of subjects, the landscape is my first and greatest love. Like many artists, I strive to achieve a painterly realism in my work. As students we are taught to focus on what is essential in our subject; but this can be a subjective judgment. For me, what is essential about nature is its complexity. Everywhere I look I see the grittiness, cragginess and fine-grained texture of the natural world. It is this essential ruggedness and complexity and presence that I try to capture in paint; to convey what it is really like to experience the infinite depth of reality, and to do so with the same energy and vitality that we bring to our experience of this reality.
But all of this complexity and depth would go unseen if not for the light. I am profoundly moved by the power of light, physically for sure as it manifests in my paintings, but more importantly emotionally and spiritually. In my darkest moments, through great pain, I found the transformational power of light, of the idea of light, of being and moving and loving in the light. I am not a religious person and spirituality is relatively new to me, but my commitment to capturing and sharing this light with others is the purpose underlying all that I do.