Mark Mulhern Exhibition Reviewed On Urban Milwaukee

The impact colors have on the psyche has been well-documented. Different colors can evoke emotions and affect moods: Reds incite excitement (and appetite, which is why many restaurants are painted that color); greens convey peace and tranquility; certain shades of blue are calming and invite introspection.

Artist Mark Mulhern uses a wide and vibrant color palate to move his audience and enliven his paintings in his latest exhibit, “Mostly People,” on display through November 24 at the Tory Folliard Gallery in the Third Ward.

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Mulhern & Martin, Shepherd Express - September 2014

Two new exhibitions at the Tory Folliard Gallery (233 N. Milwaukee St.) each introduce the everyday into their art. Cathy Martin comes to her craft from an earthy angle, which steered clear of the contemporary artist’s traditional MFA-lined path. She is an artist whose day job puts food on her table by putting food on other people’s tables. Indeed, her oil paintings on display in the exhibit “This & That” reveal a sensitivity to nature no doubt nurtured by her years as a Wisconsin farmer. Although she is self-taught, the technical execution of her work indicates a rare talent.

Mark Mulhern’s “New Work” uncovers a different domain of reality by means of a different technical approach. Photographic accuracy is here exchanged for figurativeness and atmosphere, which evoke a more primal, immediate stratum of experience. From dog walkers, pigeons amongst passing crowds and the backs of people’s heads, the subject matter also belongs to the everyday world.

The exhibitions open with an artists reception on Friday, Sept. 12 from 5-7:30 p.m. You have until Oct. 11 to make these images part of your everyday.

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Mark Mulhern – “Blue Bicycle at the Beach”

Mark Mulhern‘s Blue Bicycle at the Beach, oil on canvas, 60×70 inches, illustrates an activity filled, lighthearted day at the beach.  Inspired by travel, visits to the beach, and every day people, Mulhern’s style captures a mood with minimal, abstracted detail and colorful accents.  Introspective but unselfconscious, this freely painted work is filled with subtle gestures that invite contemplation on the part of the viewer.  Mark Mulhern will have his 7th solo exhibition in the gallery April 15th through May 14th.  We will be showing Mulhern’s Bathers series at Art Chicago, March 29th through April 2nd.  Click here to see more of Mark Mulhern’s paintings.