He studied Industrial Design at the University of Santo Tomas then worked for several years in design firms before starting his own practice, Oculus, in San Francisco before moving back to the Philippines. As a designer, Mark has been engaged in a wide variety of design disciplines, including product design, transportation design, graphics, packaging design and exhibits. He has also collaborated with architects on the conceptualization and design of several private residences.
Mark’s parallel career as an artist formally began with his first work, an oil painting done in 1997 on the occasion of the birth of his daughter. He then moved to the medium of pastels, which he appreciated for its immediacy and the ease with which shading can be smoothly applied to make near photo-realistic effects. Several series resulted in solo and group exhibits at The Drawing Room Gallery and some of the works were exhibited at art fairs in Singapore and several other Asian cities from 2000 onwards.
Mark’s approach to art is unapologetically non-traditional. As his background is in design and has never received formal schooling in traditional fine art, his works can be considered a departure from the ordinary; he would rather pursue his own vision rather than take roads already well-travelled by others. In fulfilling that vision he has devised his own ways of working, such as the acrylic resin process he now uses extensively. He counts as influences his lifelong interest in science and technology, his childhood love of science-fiction and his fascination with the mega-cities of Asia and modern culture in general.
The artist is married to Alexandra Claparols and they have one child, Celine.