Artist:  Mark Hemleben

Size: 6x8

Medium: oil on panel

Artist Bio

Mark Hemleben, a Lafayette native and USL alumni, earned a Bachelors of Arts in Education with a Minor in Visual Arts. After moving to Los Angeles, he became a mural painter, which led to an interest in plein air painting at the PAPA show in Catalina, CA. He studied under several PAPA artists, and his career has been influenced by Kenn Backhaus, John Budicin, Matt Smith, and George Strickland. Hemblen has also studied under Scott Jennings.

Hemblen was an artist in residence at William Shatner's ranch in Three Rivers, California and has won numerous awards including The Susan K. Black Art of the Flower show, 4th place in the Raymar Competition, and the Best of Plein Air Laguna Beach. He was featured in a one man retrospective at Yavapai College in 2020.

Hemleben lived in Arizona for 25 years where he painted the beautiful landscapes surrounding the Sedona area and participated in ten Sedona Plein Air shows. He was on one of the first plein air rafting trips down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. He spends most of his professional time painting from life and of his work says, "What you're getting is a little piece of that place...the temperature, time of day, and of course, a little piece of my heart."