OUTSIDE: Mark Owen - a solo exhibition

Saturday 5th to Sunday 13th September 2026

Kirkcarrion Gallery in Middleton-in-Teesdale  is looking forward to 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.  Mark explains that painting outdoors in a city demands, “dodging traffic, negotiating public transport with large wet paintings and meeting friendly and interested passers by whilst, in all weathers, looking and responding and looking again.’

How different then, to come to the remote North Pennines, an area he hadn’t visited since childhood.  Brought north by the desire to take part in the Weardale Plein Air Festival, 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, “These paintings provide a counterpoint to the more gritty urban scenes which will also form part of my exhibition. While the subject matter is 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.