I believe art should be more than mere decoration. It should involve the viewer in a conscious search for meaning and personal relevance. I resist "explaining" my own thoughts about a particular painting to allow viewers free rein with their own interpretations. I am constantly exploring new ways to provide this experience and my body of work reflects that quest. It is the search for deeper meanings in mundane matters which brings a unifying theme to otherwise diverse works.

The seven galleries presented in this site are organized to group painitings of similar style or subject matter. Whether explicit or symbolic, I try to imbue my work with emotional content and tension. I approach each composition from varying perspectives and invite others to do the same. As viewers move closer to one of my paintings, the overall balance of form and color should give way to an appreciation of each of the parts and the interplay between them. Finally, I often enjoy arranging elements in such a way that features from one flow into another to reveal other, subtle realities.

For several years during his youth, Mark Simmons lived in Indonesia, on the island of Sumatra. Dark forest trails and rich, exotic wildlife had a profound and lasting effect on him. He was particularly impressed by the Southeast Asian butterflies that brought brilliant flashes of color to the deep jungle gloom (See About Our Logo). Equally formative was a high-school year spent in Singapore, with its often-deafening traffic and teaming markets. Today, Mark lives with his family in Tallahassee, Florida where he finds state politics to be highly entertaining.