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Mark Oberkirsch has been a professional artist since 1975 when his metalworking hobby became his livelihood. He became interested in the Arts & Crafts Movement in the late eighties after being invited by Bruce Johnson to exhibit at the first Grove Park Inn Conference with his collection of American Art Pottery. This was his first introduction to the Stickleys and the Roycrofters, and the Arts & Crafts Ideal. He quickly filled his house with period mission furniture and accessories… even building a bungalow in the woods to house his collection. As the Arts & Crafts Revival movement began and Modern Craftsmen started creating their own pieces of Arts & Crafts furnishings, he realized there was very little being made in the form of wall art that complimented the mission decor. He decided to use his metalworking skills to create Arts and Crafts designs in copper that would be compatible with the antique as well as the revival decor.
The technique used to create his art is a form of copper repousee. Self taught, his designs are drawn by hand from the back of the copper with a pointed stylus. No molds or stamps are used. The metal is turned over and paint is laid within the resulting raised lines. The remaining copper surface is oxidized and then lacquered. The finished art is mounted on a sand colored board, matted and framed under glass in a quartered oak mission style frame. An accomplished woodworker, he also makes his own framing. He takes great pride in the fact that his art is true to the Arts and Crafts ideal being totally handcrafted by the hand of the artist.
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