Mark Chadwick

My name is Mark Chadwick and I have been studying fine art at Birmingham City University and Sutton Coldfield College since 2001 exploring a wide range of methods in painting, drawing, photography, sculpture and print. My main area of interest is in painting and my recent works have involved the process of making marks with tools and mechanical objects such as toy cars. I have completed my MA course in Fine Art where I exhibited in the Fine Art Show - Clutching at Straws. Previous to that I obtained a BA in Fine Art (First Class with Honours), a HND in Fine Art, Foundation Art and A-Levels.

My art practice is concerned by the use of machines in the production of an artwork. With our culture becoming more and more engaged with new technologies, my work questions the implications of handing over control of an artwork to a mechanical device. With the actions of any machine the result of human intention, I use machines to allow chance to enter the creative process, exploring ideas surrounding authorship, consciousness and interaction. I allow my tools to create their marks and record its action in a physical way on to the canvas. Currently my work is concerned with painting process as the performance aspect of the production of an artwork, exploring the relationship forged between materials, aesthetics and perception across cultures. I use machines/technology to allow paintings to make themselves in order to further remove the hand of the artist. Once set in motion I often remove myself from the studio and painting process.