Kirkcarrion Gallery in Middleton-in-Teesdale, near Barnard Castle, is looking forward to a hosting
a solo exhibition of paintings by Mark Owen from Saturday 5th to Sunday 13th September. Mark
took part in the Weardale Plein Air Festival at the end of May and was chosen as the winner of the
Kirkcarrion Gallery Exhibition Prize.
Mark is very much a plein air painter, who relishes working outside. Living in London, many of his
paintings reflect the urban environment where he often seeks out gritty urban scenes such as
neglected back streets and derelict buildings – the ‘underbelly’ of the big city. Passionate about
painting outdoors, Mark explains exactly what is involved as, “lugging large and small canvases
and boards, easel, palette and paints through fences and nettles into woodland or, in the bustling
streets of Soho, dodging traffic and navigating public transport with large wet paintings.” He finds
that wherever he paints he meets friendly and interested people passing by. He says of plein air
painting that the key is, “in all weathers, looking and responding and looking again.”
How different to his habitual city environment then, to come to the remote North Pennines in May,
an area he hadn’t visited since childhood. Brought north by the desire to take part in the 2026
Weardale Plein Air Festival in St John’s Chapel, Mark found himself in a upland landscape through
which the Wear and Tees carve their way and became fascinated by the challenge of depicting
sunlight on the water – both in still, shady pools and dynamic powerful waterfalls. He explains:
“The paintings I have produced in Teesdale and Weardale provide a counterpoint to the more
gritty urban scenes which will also form part of my exhibition. Whilst the subject matter is very
different, the paintings are clearly mine, held together by the process of working outside.”
Having graduated from the Royal Academy Schools where he studied Fine Art (Painting), Mark is
at heart an artist, but has since developed a career around product design, electronic art, graphic
design and more recently university teaching. This has allowed him to devote more time to his
painting, developing his ‘on the spot’ observation skills and ability to quickly capture a scene
when working outdoors. He has exhibited widely in the south east and won a good many
prestigious painting competitions.
Visitors to the exhibition will not only be able to see Mark Owen’s solo show, but also work by
members and associates of the Kirkcarrion Artists’ Collective. Kirkcarrion Gallery, which opened
in May 2025, is run as a not-for-profit organisation by local artists. The project to refurbish the
Grade 2 listed building in which the gallery is located was made possible by a grant from Durham
County Council allocating money from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. More information about
the gallery can be found at kirkcarriongallery.org.uk and on Instagram @kirkcarriongallery.
For those interested in taking part in the 2027 Weardale Plein Air Festival, the dates to note are
Friday 28th to Monday 31st May. Details of the program, which will involve workshops and other
events in addition to the main painting competition, will be found from mid September at
weardalepleinair.com
Weardale
Low Force Teesdale
