"The vast majority of my work is based on nostalgia, so reminders of the past trigger things that I want to express visually."

Artist Mark Cudd creates portraits that explore the emotional layers of memory and the human experience. His paintings often establish a dialogue based on common experiences, fears, ideas, and memories. Primarily self-taught, Mark draws from 20th-century photography—old family albums, found images, and his own snapshots—to shape stories that feel both familiar and imagined. Mark is colorblind, a fact that took him years to discover and the reason why his art carries a monochromatic palette.

In this interview, Mark shares a glimpse into his home life and the inspirations behind his work.

What are your special interests?

I like to cook, make furniture when time permits, and design 3D models for printing.

What are you most proud of?

My daughter. She's a Doctor of Psychology student at Georgia Southern University.

How do you structure your day?

I have a natural instinct to get moving in the morning. I keep going until I get hungry. Or, when my wife tells me I need to stop.

Where do you find inspiration for your art?

Internally, I guess. The vast majority of my work is based, at least in some sense, on nostalgia, so reminders of the past trigger things that I want to express visually. There's also a healthy dose of anemoia (nostalgia for things you've never experienced) involved. My father was an antique dealer; perhaps I learned or inherited that from him.

Tell us about your evolution as an artist.

I've been drawing for as long as I can remember. I've been painting since I was a teenager. I'm getting closer to expressing ideas the same way they appear in my head, but I probably will never get it 100% right.

How do you decide when an artwork is finished?

When the point is made, or when I make it worse by adding to it. I don't know how to explain that any further; you just know when it's done.

What is the most interesting observation someone has made about your work?

Not necessarily the most interesting, but the most frequent question I get about my work is "Why are they monochromatic?" The honest answer is that I'm grotesquely colorblind. For some reason, it took me (and somehow everyone around me) years to realize this.

Is there an artwork from another artist that has had a significant impact on you?

Two Children Are Threatened by a Nightingale by Max Ernst. My high school art teacher made me do a presentation on it. I'd never heard of Max Ernst at the time, but the significance of this piece sank in, as well as his contributions to artistic manner. A few years later, I saw it in person. It's smaller than the Mona Lisa, but, to me at least, very moving.

What’s your favorite museum?

I don't really have one, but there are two that have made lasting impressions on me. The first is the Saint Louis Art Musuem. Admission is free, and they have a wonderful collection, particularly of Max Beckmann's work. I grew up in St. Louis and spent a lot of time there. The second is MoMA in New York; visiting there was almost surreal. They had the things I'd only seen in books.

Is there anything else you’d like to share to help viewers better understand your work?

I hope to create a bond with viewers through shared conversance. Perhaps in an obtuse way, but I think we all have common experiences, so even if someone doesn't have the same worldview as me, I hope they can find some relevance to their own life in my work.