Mark Halsey was born in Hull in 1961. After completing a foundation course in art at Hull College, Mark went on to work as a decorative designer, whilst at the same time gaining recognition as a portrait and figurative artist. He developed his own distinctive style and his work was increasingly shown in galleries throughout the north of England. Mark now exhibits widely throughout Britain and further afield in Amsterdam and New York.

His is a technique driven style, some paintings being the result of careful planning, others more experimental in nature. He works with his canvas flat on the floor initially, and nearly always begins by pouring diluted oil paint and wood dye over the surface. Watching as it forms and separates, an element of chance and play are involved, whilst he sees what forms naturally. Then, intervention, with brushes, rags, rollers and wire mesh; tools which create interesting surface textures. Often gold leaf or powder is applied to add another dimension to the work.

Once the background is formed, Mark then transfers the canvas to an easel, where he carefully works on the figures. Often the figure is 'revealed' - where he uses white spirit to rub away some of the background colour - or it is simply painted directly onto the background. Either way, his intricately drawn figures are beautifully rendered, and the final works are always full of sensuality, spirituality and beauty.