Mark Kortnik was always creative at a very young age. Because of his early school instructor’s encouragement to pursue his talent, Mark dedicated years to developing his unique skill at painting in oil. Mark later earned both a B.A. degree in fine arts from Sacramento State University and an A.A. degree from American River College in 1977. Mark met his artist wife Carol McLaughlin in 1986 and he decided to move from Sacramento and relocate to her home near Joseph, Oregon. Together they began their profession by opening their first art gallery in the popular tourist destination town of Joseph.
Joseph is known for its booming art galleries and bronze foundries. Today after 35 years, Mark and Carol continue to operate Aspen Grove Gallery as the town’s now longest-established art and framing gallery on the main street.
Mark’s paintings and prints have been featured in "U.S. Art", "Inform Art", and Eastern Oregon Magazines for his combination of wildlife and petroglyph images in stunning compositions and his beautiful photo-realistic paintings of the local wilderness area.
For many years, he and his wife Carol were chosen to participate in the prestigious Western Masters Art Show in Great Falls, Montana. Mark’s paintings have received many first-place and people’s choice award ribbons for their originality in execution and design.
Currently, Mark is producing paintings that portray the beautiful high lakes area of the Eagle Cap wilderness area in his Northeast Oregon home. Mark has hiked in and photographed those areas to use as a reference for his studio paintings. Visitors to Joseph find these paintings a welcome sight towards a better appreciation of what this area has to offer them. In 2015 Joseph has the official state honor of being designated the first "art and cultural district" in Oregon.
You are invited to come and view Mark's newest paintings and meet the artist and his wife Carol at their Aspen Grove Gallery location.
This is a favorite stop for collectors of original fine art in Joseph where they will find “fine art dedicated to the natural world”
You can visit the website at www.aspengrovegallery.com