Mark Kortnik - Artist of "Animal Spirits"
Mark Kortnik is an oil painter who captures the spirit of the magnificent animals he paints. Starting at a very young age and dedicating years to his craft, he has developed a unique skill in rendering realistic portrayals of wildlife. Mark regularly exhibits at many of the top-juried Northwest art shows in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana, and his work can be seen in various galleries as well. Mark's work is also represented at Valley Bronze in Astoria, Oregon. In 1997 and 1998 "US Art" and "Inform Art" magazines featured articles that included Mark as an artist specializing in painting petroglyph sites combined with wildlife images.

Mark's paintings convey the "Animal Spirits" within the creatures he summons on canvas. His work illustrates the timeless drama of man and animal relationships starting with the beginnings of art found in the caves of prehistoric Europe. The impulse to recreate images these majestic animals inspire has not changed, as Mark himself continues in the ancient tradition of those who paint them.