Mark Risius

Sweet Dreams, Abstract Oil Painting

2019

Artist Comments
When asked about his inspiration for this radiant painting, artist Mark Risius said, "There are those dreams we have sometimes that upon waking we long to fall back asleep, dive back in and stay there forever," Part of Mark's Woven collection, made from several larger paintings cut into strips and woven over a hand-built wood frame. The piece features custom hanging hardware that allows it to be rotated to any position with ease. As a musician as well as a painter, Mark likes to suggest a song pairing for each piece: "Sweet Dreams is best paired with the song Sweet Dreams by Blondie."

About the Artist
Artist Mark Risius begins by painting one or multiple abstract pieces, and then he cuts the artwork into strips. To form the final geometric composition, he weaves the canvas pieces together. Mark showed an interest in the arts from a young age and played drums in a garage band in high school. During his senior year, he picked up his first paintbrush, creating an image of a red rose for his girlfriend at the time. Mark continued with music into his early twenties before starting a series of oil paintings on sandstone, which blossomed into an art career. Today, Mark still plays a lot of music - mainly acoustic guitar - and also writes poetry and performs improv comedy. "Creativity has been a beacon of hope for me that helped get me through my earlier years of depression," he confides. To spur his creativity, Mark's home includes two art studios, a music studio and a photography studio. When he's not working, he enjoys hiking and cycling around his home in Boulder, Colorado.

Words that describe this painting: abstract, woven, contemporary, geometric, collage, lines, abstract, non-representational, oil painting, green, blue

Sweet Dreams
Mark Risius
Oil painting on stretched canvas
Painting wraps around edges
Varnished and Ready to hang
One-of-a-kind
Signed on back
2019
48 in. h x 60 in. w x 3 in. d
33 lbs. 0 oz.