After going to art lessons at an evening class for many years, South Warwickshire-based Mark Tilley decided to become an artist full-time.
It seems surprising that a mechanical engineer would take to art so easily but Mark said the leap from a trade to art work wasn't as large as he'd imagined.
| Μύ |  | Veracity by Mark Tilley
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He said: "My professional background in mechanical engineering combined with those years of life class led in a quite natural way to my current preoccupation with sculpture of the human figure."
Preoccupation is the polite word for Mark's obsession with the human body, as he admits himself. Showing a dry sense of humour, he said working with a life model can make begin creative a real challenge.
He said: "The joy of figurative sculpture is the constant encounter with the stubbornly embodied individual who prevails, no matter the level of fantasy or transformation."
Online gallery
Explore a gallery of his work by pressing the images button below.
Useful thrift
| Μύ |  | Gigantic Heads by Mark Tilley
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Mark also said thrift has a part to play in his choice of art work, admitting he scavenges the best scrap he can find!
He said he enjoys transforming worthless materials into valuable sculpture: "I developed a healthy respect for material through wartime shortage and I can never walk by a durable scrap without asking what I can make of it.
| Μύ |  | Model for Veracity
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"I believe this act of transformation is fundamental to sculpture. By working the material the artist adds value and to me simple assemblage is not enough.
"This is my opportunity to inject life and feeling. I aim to transform the tough materials to achieve a sensuous result."
More information
For more information, or if you are interested in buying or exhibiting some of the work shown here, contact Mark Tilley by using the email link on the left.
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