the Artist & the Art
A small corner of the Anishinabek homeland around "Chi-gaming" (Lake Superior, Old Woman Bay)
Mark is a self-taught artist whose chosen medium is pen and ink, working in archival acrylic inks on acid and lignen-free illustration boards. His unique style is a fusion of several artsitic traditions, and includes the Indigenous inspired designs of both the Woodland and West Coast schools, as well as non-Indigenous approaches such as realism. Mark’s work can be found in numerous venues across Canada as well as private collections in Canada, the United States and Europe. He is a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. In 2026, the Royal Canadian Mint released a set of three Fine Silver coins featuring his artwork. His First Nation roots are grounded in the Georgian Bay and Lake Superior Treaty regions, and he is a citizen/member of Neyaashiinigmiing Unceded First Nation. Mark lives on the traditional territory of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation (SON), in Treaty 72, along with his wife, Patricia Gray, who is also an artist.
Artist's Statement
Although I have a deep and abiding affinity for what my Anishinaabek ancestors called ‘keewaydinung’ – land of the north wind -- my experiences in our vast and wild regions are, ultimately, trans-cultural in nature. Whenever I travel into those ancient and sacred spaces, path underfoot or paddle in hand, it is my ‘internal’ experiences of being there that I later try to ‘externalize’ in my drawings. I choose to do this in a style that is largely derived from the artistic traditions of Indigenous people as they are the ones whose lives have been most intertwined with the natural world and whose images and stories most resonate with me. But the messages that I try to incorporate and communicate in much of my work such as connection, interdependence and unity, are universal.”
Although I have a deep and abiding affinity for what my Anishinaabek ancestors called ‘keewaydinung’ – land of the north wind -- my experiences in our vast and wild regions are, ultimately, trans-cultural in nature. Whenever I travel into those ancient and sacred spaces, path underfoot or paddle in hand, it is my ‘internal’ experiences of being there that I later try to ‘externalize’ in my drawings. I choose to do this in a style that is largely derived from the artistic traditions of Indigenous people as they are the ones whose lives have been most intertwined with the natural world and whose images and stories most resonate with me. But the messages that I try to incorporate and communicate in much of my work such as connection, interdependence and unity, are universal.”
Royal Canadian Mint Commission
Set of Three Fine Silver Collector Coins
Set of Three Fine Silver Collector Coins
Ajijaak Dodem / Crane Clan
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Mukwa Dodem / Bear Clan
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Negik Dodem / Otter Clan
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Set of Three Fine Silver Coins
Pinguisibi (Sand River)
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Lake Obabika, in that part of the Anishinabek homeland that the Teme-Augama Anishnabai call "n'Dakiiminaan" (Our Land).
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Winter on Georgian Bay -- the traditional territory of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation.
The Galtway Gallery, Cambridge, Ontario.