Phoenix abstract stone sculptor, Mark Breithaupt, contributed an entire exhibition of his works in stone to benefit The March of Dimes. The artist's exhibit represents ten different stone types and 20 sculptures of various abstract styles and sizes. To help benefit the charity, the artist has committed to starting bid amounts at 50% below his current gallery prices, and has also donated 2 sculptures with starting bids of only $200.00. Each sculpture will be offered with a certificate of authenticity and artist biography. $200.00 has been added to all the "starting bids" as a minimum contribution to The March of Dimes charity. In addition, all bid amounts above the staring bid (plus $200.00) go to the charity through Farmers Insurance Group.
Mark also created a 10 minute DVD video production illustrating the construction processes that he uses in his work while creating a large, 125 pound sculpture. "This was a 60 hour project to complete the sculpture. We then edited 3 hours of video footage to illustrate, step by step, exactly how much work is involved to create a stone sculpture from a raw boulder. It's fascinating."
Of His work Mark states: I like to push the limits of the material whenever possible to uncover each stone's unique personality. My sculptures often start out as mental images put to paper, but my philosophy is that the stone gets the ultimate glory. I use my tools to discover it's most natural expression in the context of my vision.
I have always been one to follow my passions through self teaching and doing. As a young boy growing up in Shreveport, Louisiana, I began developing my creativity by building elaborate forts from bamboo stalks I cut down near my home. Later, I helped my father, a masonry contractor, build commercial and residential buildings. After my father acquired his own manufacturing plant, I expanded my medium to metal, learning to weld functional art pieces from steel. In early adulthood, I traveled the United States and abroad working in the communications engineering business. The aesthetic qualities of a well-designed communications system trained my eye and fueled my desire to always be absorbed with physical form and aesthetics. In my early thirties I developed a passion for outdoor sports and began skydiving. I was fascinated by the artistic formations created by skydivers in freefall and the techniques we used to achieve them. I left the communications business and spent several years as a professional skydiving photographer and videographer. My connection with the form and movement of skydivers as an observer of human sculpture in motion influenced my decision to embark on the ever-changing forms possible through stone carving. My yearning to be totally engrossed in the technical and artistic process in a more personal way was further fulfilled. I gave up skydiving and rallied my skills for the most satisfying artistic pursuit yet.
Mark's first sculptures were fountains designed as landscaping features using schist and granite, native rocks found locally. Over time, his work evolved into pieces of sculpture with a water component, rather than "fountains," and then to sculptures in and of themselves.
This evolution led Mark to expand his medium to include stones from around the the world, including onyx, marbles, travertine, sandstone, calcite, alabasters, and soapstone. His carvings explore each stone type to uncover it's unique qualities. Mark's work encompasses a variety of abstract styles and the generous use of negative space.
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Zion Passage
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Talabaster Studio3
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Elation
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Reunion
