Mark Poe started drawing at 3 years old. His mom saved some drawings he did then, one of which reassembled the dolphin “Flipper” from the ’60’s TV show, if you looked at it with a little imagination.
At a young age he had a passion and drew everything and on every blank scrap of paper he could find throughout his childhood but he was often frustrated with his lack of skill. Eventually as a young believer he asked God to help him be a better artist. That was a turning point. He read articles and books on art and how to master it as he grew up. He studied the art in comic books as well as comic strips and read about the artists that drew these works. His passion to draw turned into a passion to learn and perfect his craft. Later he signed up for the few art classes offered in high school. He went to a nearby junior college and majored in art. After only one semester his art professor told him there was nothing more he could teach him and recommended he go to the Parsons School of Design. Mark had not been married long and didn’t see any way he could afford Parsons even if he could get a scholarship, so he went back to his regular job in shipping and receiving.
Months passed and Mark learned of a large Screen Printer in a town 50 miles away from home who needed an artist. He got the job and an education in the process. So even though he was not in college for 4 to 6 years, like most today, his work experience, on the job training and passion to learn by gleaning information from books and every available source easily equals a college degree. For nearly 40 years he has worked for screen printers and offset printers and run his own art studio business as well.
Here’s a few samples of what Mark is capable of producing:
Mark’s Portfolio
