June 2024 – Telefonplan
ABOUT the artist
Mark loves exploring light and how it is interpreted by a camera. He began taking photos in the mid-1970โs with a fixed lens Yashica camera his father gave him. In college he developed a love for black and white photography and the sweeping landscapes of the American Southwest. Working for newspapers after college helped hone his skills in portraiture and documentary photography. He gets much of his inspiration from his frequent travels. His favorite genres are landscape, portraiture, night skies and Americana. He is an award winning photographer having shown in over 250 galleries around the world. In 2005 he founded Bear Dancer Studios in Rushville, Illinois and in 2022 he opened Widdershins Artisan Gallery in Dubuque, Iowa.
He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism with a minor in photography from Adams State College in Alamosa, CO and is working toward a Master of Arts in Communication.
One of two sons in a military family, Mark was born in Carthage, Illinois but grew up all over the United States. He spent over 25 years in the publishing industry. He is now a freelance photographer and graphic designer and splits his time between his gallery, Widdershins, in Dubuque, Iowa, and a family farm near Rushville, IL.
Markโs photography is aimed toward showing his audience the wonder that he sees whenย looking through the viewfinder. Combining over 40 years of experience in filmย and digital, darkroom work and computer editing, gives his images a very painterly styleย which he favors over a documentary approach.
https://beardancerstudios.format.com
https://www.instagram.com/beardancerstudios
ABOUT the exhibition
Inspiritus โ Mark Dierker Black & White Photography Exhibition in Royal Blue Visual Arts Gallery
Inspiritus, Mark Dierker
Portrait and nude b&w photography exhibition
Vernissage: June 7, at 18:30
Exhibition open until June 15, 2024
Exhibition curator: Mag Nilsson
Royal Blue Visual Arts Gallery
LM Ericssons Vรคg 1
Telefonplan, Stockholm, Sweden
Mark Dierker is an American photographer based in Dubuque, Iowa. He has won over 30 awards and had his work shown in over 250 exhibitions worldwide. The INSPIRITUS exhibition will present his 25 works from the portraits and nudes series. This individual exhibition is part of the Grand Prix won in Open Call Black & White Photography 2023 at the Royal Blue Visual Arts Gallery, where his 3 works were presented during the Finalistโs exhibition.
Inspiritus means โto breath in and be filled with Spirit.โ This exhibition is dedicated to the people who have inspired me on my artistic journey. In 1987, I met a 72 year old man who built barbed wire fences for a living. I was writing a feature story on him for a newspaper and watching his leathery hands grip the hammer and the wire inspired me to capture a great portrait to go with my story. Since then Iโve tried to capture the essential elements that help define a persons life and the enjoyment of what they choose to do for a living. Inspiritus has a double meaning for me. Six of the people depicted in this exhibition have recently passed away. Each of them contributed in some way to my idea of what makes good art. I hope you also find enjoyment and inspiration from this collection of portraits. โ Mark Dierker
ABOUT the Gallery
As an organizer of art projects, a juror in various types of visual arts competitions, a painter, designer and photographer with many years of international experience, as part of the Royal Blue Visual Arts Gallery, I would like to continue my internal mission of promoting art and culture not only in the Stockholm region, Sweden, but also on a global scale.
Mag (Blue) Nilsson
SEO Royal B AB
Gallery
About us
The Royal Blue Visual Arts Gallery combines a classic gallery and an online Virtual Reality Gallery, as well as an intimate photography studio.
The mission of the Royal Blue Visual Arts Gallery is to promote artists and art and present it to as many audiences as possible. As part of the mission, our plans include solo and group exhibitions, thematic JURY exhibitions and competitions with prizes. In addition to projects organized by us, we offer artists joint participation, under the banner of the gallery, in events such as: art fairs, exhibitions organized in cooperation with galleries from other cities in Sweden and other countries, as well as Konstrundas.
Royal Blue โ Facts or legends
Royal Blue โ the name of the gallery derives from the color name. Wikipedia defines royal blue as a deep and vibrant shade of blue. Legends say it was created in England by clothiers in Rode, Somerset, whose consortium won a competition to make a gown for Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III.
Oxford English Dictionary defines โroyal blueโ as โdeep, vibrant blue,โ while Cambridge English Dictionary defines it as a โstrong light blue colorโ, a Collins English Dictionary defines it as a โdark blue colourโ. American dictionaries refer to it as more closely related to purple, such as โdeep, vivid reddish or purplish blueโ (Websterโs New World College Dictionary) or โvivid purple blueโ (Merriam-Webster).
We love them all!
Photography
We invite you to intimate portrait photo sessions, artistic and thematic, both in the studio and outdoors. We invite you solo, with a partner. With family and friends. We welcome pets such as cats and dogs.
Photographers are also welcome. We plan to regularly organize photo exhibition meetings such as thematic photo sessions, photo walks, and photo laboratories โ developing the earlier Camera Shift project already under the Royal Blue Visual Art Gallery brand.
For photographers, it is possible to rent a studio for intimate photo sessions.
Location
We invite you to visit the Royal Blue Gallery regularly for further exhibitions and to enjoy the surrounding attractions. A visit to our gallery, artistic values in the area, numerous restaurants and attractions for children in the surrounding parks โ everything within a radius of 1 km can be a fantastic, regular form of spending time alone and for whole families or groups of friends.
15 minutes by metro from Slussen station in central Stockholm, 400m from T-bana Telefonplan metro/station, and 230m from Konstfack in an area where LM Ericssonโs history has played an essential role in the development of the city of Stockholm.
Within 1 km from the Royal Blue Gallery, there are at least a dozen restaurants (everyone will find something to their taste) and the best in the region, Soderbergs Bageri.
From the Royal Blue Gallery via Pingstvรคgen in the north to
Mellanbergsvรคgen in the south, including the Lurparken creative play park and amphitheater, the county park called Teaterparken. On the opposite side of Pingstvagen, 650 m from the gallery, there is another park with a childrenโs playground, a basketball court, and in summer with, an open paddling pool and a barbecue area. All the parks in the area are inspired by art.
LM Ericssons Vรคg, where the Royal Blue Gallery is located, is in the area of the regularly held and with growing interest of KONSTRUNDA MIDSOMMARKRANSEN from year to year. Since 1999, this Konstrunda has been held twice a year, in April and November, and brings together artists, art galleries, and art studios in the Midsommarkransen area, to which Telefonplan belongs.
Konstfack- University of Arts, Crafts, and Design โ an art school attended by everyone from dreamers and revolutionaries to activists and utopians since 1844. There is also an unusual, ambitious student art gallery where we recommend Degree Exhibitions.