The Show

Meet the Artists

Your Portraits

Mark Stoddart’s work resonates his love of music. Incorporating images important to him, Mark talks to Star Portraits about his clothing brand, graphic design and painting.

SP: How would you describe your work to someone that's never seen it?

MS: I would describe my technique as a distinct staccato style playing on raw, rough edges, leaving undefined dry brush strokes to the imagination of the viewer. My syncopated technique has long been a vehicle for personal expression, allowing improvisation to put emphasis on the seemingly mundane elements of life.

SP: When did you decide to become a professional artist?

MS: After graduating from Sheridan College I embarked on a successful career as a graphic designer but returned to my true calling, painting, after the death of a close friend.

SP: How does painting portraits differ from graphic design?

MS: You fall into the realm of the corporate world. It's not as personal. It's more of a non-emotional aspect to it. You're just doing job, but with paintings, there's more of an emotional connection with doing portraits for people.

SP: Tell us about your own clothing brand and how you started it.

MS: I've always been doing T-shirts, probably from early ‘89 in high school. It’s always been a vehicle for me to making money. I always enjoyed canvassing my ideas as an artist through T-shirts. I understood even then that people like to identify with popular trademarks. Whether it is a sports team, restaurant or musical artist, many people identify with a brand on their chest and, essentially, the symbol becomes a representation of their persona. To me, it is a very powerful idea. So basically this year, I actually took it a little more seriously and actually created a proper line with a campaign that I'm doing called, LIVE IT WEAR IT. We just have to question certain things that we wear and it's actually a product of who you are, you know what I mean? You have to LIVE IT WEAR IT.

SP: Any good stories from having your own clothing brand you would like to share?

MS: Wow, lets see… there are so many. Right now what's been good is technology today. Before, we never really had the internet as a way of reaching so many people. My connection is now worldwide and I've been getting a lot of responses. During this whole campaign I've been focusing on people that are community people, who are doing something positive & create lasting improvements in our community. The mission of MCMLXVIII (1968)CAMPAIGN is to improve lives by mobilizing the community to create lasting changes in conditions. I'm very excited about this year’s campaign! I've got the rap artist Saukrates, Toronto FC captain Dwayne De Rosario and I have a great relationship with both of them. Wearing the brand has been great!

You would have to checkout my website to see who else been feature in my (LIWI) campaign – hint, hint… www.kurupt.com

SP: You are active with Twitter and you have a Facebook group. Do you find that these avenues help your to promote your work?

MS: Oh, most definitely. I think it's how you utilize it, because you won't want to be inundating people with so many notes. You gotta really strategize how you want the people out there to know what you’re doing, without bombarding or spamming them with notes; so you just gotta plan it properly.

SP: You went to Sheridan, how was that experience?

MS: Any experience to get away from Scarborough is great; adapting to the environment was interesting. From an artist’s point of view, I definitely grew, understanding my craft and developing certain techniques. So yes, it definitely did help me develop my journey to where I am now.

SP: Was your experience on Star Portraits different from what you thought it would be?

MS: I didn't know what to expect to be honest. First off, as an artist you get intimidated because you don't know what the other person is going to bring to the table. But then, art is all about perception, and how people view what's good art from what's bad art. But I definitely did enjoy it because I didn't know what was going to happen, and then to produce a work within two weeks was kind of serious as well.

SP: Was the process of painting the portrait for Star Portraits a challenge?

MS: No, I think the process, for me, was trying something different from how I normally paint. I was combining a little more of the graphical aspect to my painting which I've never done before, so that was different.

SP: What kind of materials do you normally work with?

MS: Acrylics and washes are the majority. Graphite, in pencils but the majority is acrylic.

SP: Do you use a specific process?

MS: To be honest, I don't really have a particular process, its just the simple fundamentals. So no, there's no certain format or technique, whatever happens, happens. I just work with whatever's given to me.

SP: Where do you see yourself and your art in the future?

MS: The future, well let's see…Being a visionary is no small feat. Historically, they are stars that burn so bright and so hot they burn out much too soon. They leave behind a brilliant legacy, but usually are not around to bask in that brilliance.

For starters, I want to become an art teacher, that’s my number one. Number two, is actually trying to create a tour-like art show - bringing my work to different parts of Canada.

SP: Will your tour incorporate music too?

MS: Yeah, I want to try to incorporate everything, that’s who I am as a brand. The whole thing is about celebrating who you are, so I want to tie in everything that I do.

SP: How does music influence your artwork?

MS: I'm passionate about two things: sports and music. They are always intertwined into my work…and my work speaks for itself. For me to paint, I need to hear music in my ears - to get that vibe going on - that certain kind of frequency. It doesn't matter what kind of music I listen to - I enjoy music. I just love being creative and hearing the process of people making particular sounds. I'm a big Jimi Hendrix fan; what he's done for the music scene is totally phenomenal.

Artist Stats

Born in Nottingham, U.K., Mark Stoddart moved to Toronto with his family at the age of seven. He graduated from Sheridan College and became a graphic designer, adopting the alias “Kurupt.” He later returned to his true calling, painting, which reflects his passion for sports, black cinema, and music. He describes his technique as a distinct staccato style playing on raw, rough edges, leaving undefined dry brush strokes.

www.kurupt.com