January 2026 features the new work from VIVA Member Artist, Mark Herrling!
Artist Biography:
My journey into art began as a youngster with chalk in hand and miles of city sidewalks as a canvas to draw on. Then, as so often happens, the critic took over. The playfulness I had felt drifted away.
Then, in college, I took a required art course. I signed up for a pottery class - and I was hooked! This was fun, and the possibilities were infinite again. After college, I moved to rural Wisconsin, built a timber-framed home and studio, and pursued life as a potter.
After 20 years of making pots I needed a change and took an automatic painting workshop. I stuffed the critic in my back pocket and allowed the images to glide out of my soul onto the canvas. Over time I discovered a knife and chisels and created my first woodcut print. This was the medium I had been looking for! It lends itself to bold images, which once finished can be reproduced. This satisfies my “art for the people” philosophy.
My journey is all about actively listening to that youngster who is still exploring the broad canvas of art.