Mark Munroe-Preston - 2022

Mark Munroe-Preston’s work coalesces photography, painting and collage to create atmospheric pictures inspired by his experiences in nature. He begins with images drawn from his expansive collection of original landscape photographs, taking these and exploring the subtleties of colour, texture, light and form to evoke the beauty and drama of the scenes, blurring the boundaries of what is traditionally considered as photography and painting. They are then presented as limited editions prints on sheets of brushed aluminium, which gives the work a unique dynamic look, depth of colour and a contemporary feel.

Trees are the focus of his art, transposing their energy as exceptional, complex organisms in our environment, each having its presence and characteristics from diminutive and delicate to monumental and sculptural. The emphasis on trees also comes from an appreciation of how fundamental they are with human life, affording us food, shade and materials as well as playing an ever-increasingly important role in our world ecosystems and clean air, yet all too often taken for granted.

His approach embraces several facets of landscape art including sublime windswept views and more conceptual compositions where the implications of the root and interrelated mycorrhizal fungi networks are evident, using mirroring and silhouette effects as well as attention to the illuminating presence of the sun, often filtered through a diffuse mist.

Each of Mark’s works is titled with the GPS coordinates of where the original photograph was taken so they can be found on interactive maps, encouraging others to experience the locations in person.

Mark was born in Yorkshire and studied photography before moving to London. He has worked as a still life photographer, illustration and until recently a toy designer.