About the artist:
Born in 1957, in Detroit michigan, Mark Beam has become known as a southern California-based sculptor of bold, colorful images with its roots in humor. Beam was raised in Detroit, and at the age of 19 moved to California. After a year of graphic design/production courses, he went to work in a graphics department. At the same time, he was writing and performing stand up comedy in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Beam says "I got laughs, but I wasn't hungry enough to commit my life to it." He then worked on the creation of the PeeWee Herman show, the stage production that was the prototype of the CBS childrens' television series. In 1984 beam gravitated towards sculpture. After doing experiments with different art materials, he began working with a combination of foam, paper mache and fiberglass and in the process defined a look of his own. Then combining this"look" with his humorous take on things, he created pieces that were bold and funny. For 18 years, as of this writing, Mark Beam has been producing artworks that have been collected and exhibited by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Frank Zappa, Takashimaya Corporation in Osaka, Japan, and actress Carrie Fisher. EXHIBITIONS: Copro/Nasson Gallery, LA... ...Group Show '99-2000 A Gallery, Palm Desert... ...Group Show '98-99 Gallerie Periwinkle, Mill Valley... ...Group Show '98-2000 La Luz De Jesus Gallery, LA... ...Group Show '96 ACME Fine Art, San Francisco... ...Group Show '96-'98 Track 16 Bergamot Station, Santa Monica... ...Group Show '94 Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach... ...Group Show '93-2000 South Bay Contemporary Museum of Art, Long Beach... ...Group Show '94 Newport Harbor Art Museum, Newport Beach... ...Group Show '92 Takashimiya Exhibitions, Osaka Japan... ...Solo Show '88-'92 Schwartz/Cierlak Gallery, Santa Monica... ...Group Show '90-'91 Suzanne Brown Contemporary, Scottsdale... ...Solo Show '88-'95 Ivey Gallery, LA... ...Group Show '89 Taylor/Gratzer Gallery, LA... ...Group Show '86-'89 Sherwood Gallery, Laguna Beach... ...Group Show '84-'92 COLLECTIONS LA County Museum of Art (M.91.152) K. C. Parishath Art Museum, Bangalore, India Universal Studios Spago Restaurant Mr. & Mrs. Frank Zappa NBC Television Mr. & Mrs. Jack & Joan Quinn Overseas Film Group Ms. Carrie Fisher Turner Broadcast Network Ms. Sally Kellerman Mr. Peter Gabriel Mr. & Mrs. David Steinberg Mr. & Mrs. Sid Sheinberg Mr. & Mrs. Brian Setzer Mr. Robin Leach Ms. Danielle Steele Ms. Penny Marshall Frank Zappa/Ensemble Modern "The Yellow Shark," 1993 Performance Sculpture, CD jacket, Frankfurt, Vienna, Berlin Warner Bros. Studio Galleries, Dimensional Portrait Series, 1995, 1996 The Pee Wee Herman Show, stage production/HBO special Interview, dustydomino.com, November, 2000 Seal Beach Sun, Don Mabbott, July 22, 1999 Playboy (Germany), February 1997 Phoenix Gazette, Lyn Pyne, March 22, 1991 New York Yomuiri, Akiko Yoshimoto, March 23, 1991 Popeye Magazine, Japan, September 1990 New York Times, "Cowboys Ride," Bill Zimmer, August 1991 Sunstorm Arts Magazine, Greg Firlotte, January 1988 Mono Magazine, Japan, June 1988 Designer West Magazine, Wolfgang Puck Article, January 1988 Better Homes & Gardens, Big Personality Pieces, March 1987 Los Angeles Magazine, Nancy Clair, January 1988 Los Angeles Times Magazine, Bevis Hillier, September 1986