Mark Kelso
Mark Kelso was born in 1967, and raised in Indianapolis, IN. During his early years, through the support of his family, he spent much of his time immersed in art and nature. From this background, Mark chose the visual arts for his career. He majored in painting at John Herron School of Art, in Indianapolis, IN, and began doing social, philosophical, and environmentally oriented subject matter in his senior year. This nature/civilization content in his paintings was translated to wildlife and landscape subject matter the following year, and has remained a reoccurring theme in his work over the years.
Mark’s art has been exhibited and collected globally. His work has hung in over 100 museums around the world, including such places as the National Geographic Society, Taiwan’s National Museum of Natural History, the London Museum of Natural History, and the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC. Mark has been inducted into the International Society of Animal Artists and Artists For Conservation organizations, and has been seen in various magazines including Fine Art Connoisseur, Western Art Collector, Southwest Art, and Art of the West. He currently works out of his studio near Indianapolis, IN, and continues to travel extensively, gathering experiences in the wild from which to draw inspiration.