ABOUT MARK
Hello. I'm a self-taught artist living in Lynchburg, Virginia with my wife, Laurel, three-year-old son, Lukas, and cat, Spritz. I've been painting on and off for over fifteen years, but took it up with renewed vigor in late 2004. I grew up in Jamestown, New York and also lived in both Chicago and St. Paul, Minnesota for several years.
I graduated from North Park University in Chicago with a B.A. in English and high school teaching credentials. Seriously! I eventually got my start as a web developer in Minneapolis in 1997, and am now a senior web developer for Liberty University.
In 2005, I was a finalist for the Staples Invention Quest contest, in which I finished in the top three. Staples went on to produce my idea, and my invention, DigiFiles™ (scroll down) is now in Staples stores nationwide. It was a fun and surprising adventure.
In November 2000, I founded an online journal of opinion called The Partial Observer. As editor-in-chief, I've published over 3000 articles by many contributors, both amateur and professional.
I'm an avid jazz fan, and formerly played alto and soprano sax in a sextet called the Dextet around the Twin Cities. I enjoyed composing and arranging tunes for the band, and while music is still a strong interest, I've put the horns down for now as I concentrate on art.
Thanks for visiting!
Mark D. Johnson
