Michael Marks
Contact Information
Studio & Gallery
Doylestown, PA
Please contact artist for purchases, commissions, etc.
Photography
Artist's Biography
I have been making black and white film photographs and prints in the darkroom for over 45 years. I started when I was a kid growing up in Buffalo, NY, with a Kodak Brownie my parents gave me. Things moved into high gear when I got my first Instamatic and then my Argus C3. When I was 15 the next major step occurred – my parents let me set up my first darkroom in our small basement.
I am largely a self-taught “amateur,” having never attempted to make a living from photography. That said, I have taken some classes as electives in college, read a lot, self discovered a lot more, made many great friends near and far, had my work exhibited as career and family time would allow, and attended some interesting workshops along the way with the likes of John Sexton, Henry Gilpin, Steve, Szabo, Michael Smith, Paula Chamlee, and Frank Van Riper.
In 2012 I abandoned a safe existence living in the metropolitan Washington, DC area, for as some like to say “something different,” and moved to Doylestown, Pennsylvania. I recently launched a website and write a weekly blog dedicated to black and white film photography, the magic of the darkroom, and the community that loves it
— www.michaelmarksphoto.com.
I have also started teaching photography workshops, holding periodic “Photo Chat Get- Togethers,” exhibiting my work again, and teaching a courses I developed at Delaware Valley University’s Center for Learning in Retirement and Temple University’s Lifelong Learning Society.
In 2020, I founded The Monalog™ Collective and serve as its President. Monalog is a group of black and white film photographers who create images using traditional wet printing methods and materials such as silver gelatin paper in the darkroom or alternative processes and papers they coat themselves. The collective is made up of like-minded photographers operating at a high skill level that has formed to promote black and white analog photography, the industry that supports it. It fosters the growth of our community through membership and engagement with others, individually and through broader collaborative activity – www.monalogcollective.com.
Selected Exhibitions
Solo
2018
Colorida Art Gallery, Lisbon, Portugal
2018
Bodhi Coffee, Philadelphia, PA
2017
Red Filter Fine Art Photography Gallery, Lambertville, NJ
2016
Hatboro Federal Savings Bank, Warminster, PA
Manu Propria Photographic Studio, Staunton, VA
1984
State of Pennsylvania Legislative Hearing Room, Harrisburg, PA
Group
2020
27th Annual Phillips Mill Photographic Exhibition, Phillips Mill, New Hope, PA
2018
Photo Review Photography Competition Exhibition of Prize-Winning Images, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
2018 Photo Review Photography Competition Exhibition, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Pennsylvania Center for Photography, Americana Exhibition, Doylestown, PA
2016
Gatherings Artist Gallery, Doylestown, PA
1985
The Art League Gallery, Torpedo Factory Art Center, Alexandria, VA
Multiple shows
Other
2016
Host periodic “Photo Chat Get-Togethers” Doylestown, PA
Publications
Michael Marks: A Thoughtful, Unhurried Approach Reveals Peaceful Beauty,
Radius Magazine, Issue 046, December 2018,
Best of Photography Annual, 1985, Photographer’s Forum Magazine – “Award of Excellence”
Professional Experience
2020
Co-Founder, President and Member, Monalog™ Collective
2016 – 2019
Instructor, Delaware Valley University Center for Learning in Retirement: Living a Photographic Life; and Planning and Creating a Photographic Project
Instructor, Temple University Lifelong Learning Society: Living a Photographic Life
2016 – Present
Workshop Instructor, Michael Marks Photography
Affiliations
Gatherings Artist CoOp, Doylestown, PA
Red Filter Fine Art Gallery, www.redfiltergallery.com
Awards and Honors
2020
Spencer Saunders Award, 2020 Phillips Mill Photographic Exhibition
2018
Fifth Place, 2018 Photo Review Photography Competition
1988
First Place, Photography Award, US Department of State FARA Art and Photography Show
Best of Show, US Department of State FARA Art and Photography Show
1985
The Art League Gallery, Torpedo Factory Art Center, Alexandria, VA
multiple awards
Lectures and Talks
2020
“Michael Marks Photographer”, Delaware Valley University, Center for Learning in Retirement, Doylestown, PA
2019
“Michael Marks Photographer”, Delaware Valley University, Center for
Learning in Retirement, Doylestown, PA
“Michael Marks Photographer”, Delaware Valley University, Center for Learning in Retirement, Doylestown, PA
2016
“Michael Marks Photographer,” Delaware Valley University, Center for Learning in Retirement, Doylestown, PA
Education
1978
University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
MPIA
1976
State University of New York, Buffalo, NY
BA, graduating Cum Laude with Department Honors
Recent Artist Member Mentions on InLiquid
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Light
A DVAA MEMBERS’ EXHIBITION IN GALLERY 1 @ DVAA PUBLIC OPENING RECEPTION: Wednesday, December 2, 7-8pm | Register here 2020 … See Full Post
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Members Shed “Light” at DVAA
Alan Lankin, Annie Stone, Barbara Dirnbach, Bill Brookover, Brenda Howell, Brooke Lanier, Cheryl Levin, Diane Lachman, Ellen Abraham, Florence Weisz, Frank M. Gaydos, Gary Grissom, Jenn Hallgren, Linda Dubin Garfield, Louis Gribaudo, Mary Powers Holt, Michael Marks, Orlando Saverino-Loeb, Pamela Tudor, Phyllis Anderson, Rebecca Schultz, Rosalind Bloom, Sally K. Eisenberg, Sam Koren, Sandi Neiman Lovitz, and Terri Fridkin are all in Da Vinci Art Alliance’s members exhibition, Light. The show, which runs December 2 – December 20, 2020, will have a virtual opening reception Wednesday, December 2 at 7 pm.
Feature image: Harborview, Golden Hour, Brooke Lanier
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Michael Marks in 27th Annual Phillips Mill Photographic Exhibition
Michael Marks had two of his photographs selected to appear in the prestigious 27th Annual Phillips Mill Photographic Exhibition in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. One his photographs won the prestigious Spencer Saunders Award. The exhibit was juried by esteemed photographer Emmit Gowan.
Because of Covid-19, the exhibition is being held online and can be viewed at: https://www.phillipsmillphoto.com/pmpe2020-exhibition
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How Artists Stuart Lehrman and Michael Marks Remain Creative During Self-Quarantine
During this time it may be hard to keep yourself busy as a lot of us are at home. InLiquid … See Full Post
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Michael Marks Co-Founds Monalog™ Collective
Michael Marks has co-founded the Monalog™ Collective to be a resource for black and white analog photographers!
Read the press release here