MARK PRESTON
(1960-2022, Dawson City, YT; Tlingit)
Mark Preston was a multidisciplinary Tlingit artist who worked in a variety of media. He began studying silver carving under renowned Gitksan artist Phil Janzé while attending K'san in Hazelton, BC. He then learned various techniques of wood carving.
Preston recontextualizes Northwest Coast formline shapes by making precise cutouts into panels, thus turning traditional shapes into negative space. His minimalist, all-white motifs symbolize clarity, peacefulness, and open-mindedness. In this same vein, many of Preston’s pieces are purposely left untitled to allow for open interpretations and meanings. Preston cites European masters Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci as early influences, although works by Picasso, Mark Rothko, and Northwest Coast artists like Bill Reid, Robert Davidson, Roy Vickers, and Ted Harrison have all served to influence his more recent works. His contemporary pieces are inspired by minimalism and abstraction.
Preston’s work resides in both private and public collections, including the Yukon Permanent Art Collection.
