Meet Mark Shevetone

 

We were lucky to catch up with Mark Shevetone recently and have shared our conversation below.

Mark, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

I think that feeling like an imposter is something that everyone feels to some degree. I guess as I got farther into my art journey it became more about impressing myself and enjoying the process. Feeling like I didn’t belong slowly started to fade away. The more truthful I was with my art, the more I started to feel right at home.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I’m an artist based in Las Vegas who’s known for impressionist paintings that capture people, places and all the events in my life. Timeless and tasteful, or modern and messy, images in my life demand to be examined. I use acrylic paint to create highly textured, three-dimensional works on canvas. I’m a graduate of San Jose State’s art program, and my first influence was my great uncle Alfred Pizzarelli, an artist from New York City in the 1950’s-60’s. I used to look at all Alfred’s wonderful paintings and wonder “Who are these people?” and think they were trying to speak just to me by way of expressions and surrounding colors. My paintings are meant to burst with energy, life and texture hoping that they might speak to the viewer in some way. You can catch my artwork around Las Vegas in casinos, restaurants, wineries and local/regional galleries. When I’m not working on my gallery (www.shevetoneartgallery.com), I’m spending time with my wife Alicia and our English bulldog Belma hoping to catch the next expression to put on canvas.

Exhibitions & Residencies
2024:

HMVC Gallery – “Best of Me” (10/1/24 – 10/31/24) NYC
Palate Restaurant – Resident Artist – Downtown Las Vegas Arts District
HMVC Gallery – “Moments” (6/1/24 – 6/29/24) NYC
KBM Art Gallery – “Great Green” CA
d’ART Center – National Exhibition of Floral and Botanical Artworks During Garden Week April 20 – May 11, 2024. VA
Artio Gallery – International Group Exhibition: April 2024 “Interconnecting Lines” NYC
ExhibitZone/Bifarin – Seasons: Spring – 2024 Canada
Agora Gallery – “Spring Forward” NYC
LAS LAGUNA Art Gallery – “All Things Considered” Exhibition – Laguna Beach, CA
The Hummingbird and Dragonfly Art Gallery – “Serene Scenes” Los Angeles, CA
Status Champange Lounge Residency – 2024 Venetian Las Vegas, NV
HMVC Gallery – “Piece of Me” NYC (2/1/24 – 2/29/24) NYC
KBM Art Gallery – “Radiant Red” (2/14/24 – 3/28/24) CA
Red Bluff Gallery – Art 4 Animals – Benefiting the Accidental Animal Rescue Center CA
Conrad West – Group Exhibit, Las Vegas -NV
Influx Gallery – Perpetual Exhibition, Notting Hill – London
Gallery Andrea – Visiting Artist Feburary-March, Scottsdale, AZ

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

First I think having a good work ethic is critical in everything that you do. No matter how bad things get, you need the ability to press forward. If you are just starting out, know that there will be those days that you want to throw in the towel. Don’t.

Second, I think you need to develop your own voice. Everyone is going to surround you with their opinions. You need the ability to filter out all the noise and develop strong convictions. As you continue on your journey you will realize the only truth is yours. Take the good ideas and leave the bad. Do what works for you. Once you start living life for you, things become much clearer.

Third is have a good sense of humor. No one enjoys being around sad and grumpy people. Learn to laugh and surround yourself with others that like to laugh as well. It will bring lots of light into darker times.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?

I really enjoy the book “Illusions” by Richard Bach. Here’s a few of my favorite quotes:

“I do not exist to impress the world. I exist to live my life in a way that will make me happy. ”

“Your only obligation in any lifetime is to be true to yourself.”

“Learning is finding out what you already know. Doing is demonstrating that you know it. Teaching is reminding others that they know just as well as you. You are all learners, doers, teachers.”

“This is a test to see if your mission in this life is complete, if you are alive, it isn’t.”

“The best way to avoid responsibility is to say, ‘I’ve got responsibilities.”

“The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof.”

Contact Info:

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