About
In March of 2020, my first book Borderlands was published by Frontenac House Ltd. The book is a photographic discourse on the country that straddles the forty-ninth parallel from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains to the grasslands of Saskatchewan and to the western Dakotas. It depicts the land metaphorically as a river of time with tributaries of history and disparate cultures flowing in discontinuous moments of consciousness. It is a portrayal of a land where you can feel the wind blow the dust of ages, a place of melancholic beauty, an oasis of solitude. As a component of a larger project, it draws upon an awareness of the histories enacted on the land, leading me on a course of artistic and personal exploration toward the intersection of pasts and the present.
The Borderlands Project explores the diverse aspects and concepts of borders from an artist’s viewpoint. By definition, artists have a relationship with their work. However, growth as an artist can occur when this relationship is reflected in how others perceive the work. Sharing my work with people in the communities where Borderlands was created has allowed me to expand my creative boundaries and to employ interdisciplinary skills, via exhibitions, publication, social media, and presentations. In return, discussions arise; ideas and concepts evolve; creativity begins anew. Thus, making my art more accessible and completing a circle of art.
In my second book, Buffalo Traces (Frontenac House, 2024), I follow the paths of explorers, artists, and writers across the northern Great Plains of North America. Conceived as a companion to Borderlands, in it, through words and photographs, I pay homage to these figures and others I have come to meet along my journey.
Áísínai'pi, A Visual Quest, is my third and most recent offering of photography of the northern Great Plains. It focuses on Áísínai’pi/Writing-on-Stone UNESCO World Heritage Site. Adhering to the standard set with my previous books, Áísínai’pi will be my first self-published book. It is currently in production at Friesens Printing, in Manitoba, Canada. Like its predecessors, Áísínai’pi explores the landscape and uses narrative to guide the reader. Unlike the others, it is an intimate exposé of a multi-decade relationship that I have shared with this mystical landscape.
About the Artist:
The eye is an inveterate collector. ~ Walker Evans
The art of photographer, media producer, and mixed media artist Mark Vitaris is sweeping in style and scope. Through his art, he preserves that which is ephemeral. He believes there is an intimate connection between the forms his art takes and the circumstances from which it derives.
For much of his professional and artistic career, location photography has been his chosen métier. His work is project-based, honed from decades of professional assignments employing natural light and conditions to interpret visual concepts.
Vitaris earned a B.A. in Communications, from the University of Ottawa (Canada). His award winning work has been widely exhibited and is included in private and public collections provincially, nationally, and internationally. His mixed media art works can be seen at Vitaris Mixed Media. He resides in Calgary, Alberta.
The Borderlands Project explores the diverse aspects and concepts of borders from an artist’s viewpoint. By definition, artists have a relationship with their work. However, growth as an artist can occur when this relationship is reflected in how others perceive the work. Sharing my work with people in the communities where Borderlands was created has allowed me to expand my creative boundaries and to employ interdisciplinary skills, via exhibitions, publication, social media, and presentations. In return, discussions arise; ideas and concepts evolve; creativity begins anew. Thus, making my art more accessible and completing a circle of art.
In my second book, Buffalo Traces (Frontenac House, 2024), I follow the paths of explorers, artists, and writers across the northern Great Plains of North America. Conceived as a companion to Borderlands, in it, through words and photographs, I pay homage to these figures and others I have come to meet along my journey.
Áísínai'pi, A Visual Quest, is my third and most recent offering of photography of the northern Great Plains. It focuses on Áísínai’pi/Writing-on-Stone UNESCO World Heritage Site. Adhering to the standard set with my previous books, Áísínai’pi will be my first self-published book. It is currently in production at Friesens Printing, in Manitoba, Canada. Like its predecessors, Áísínai’pi explores the landscape and uses narrative to guide the reader. Unlike the others, it is an intimate exposé of a multi-decade relationship that I have shared with this mystical landscape.
About the Artist:
The eye is an inveterate collector. ~ Walker Evans
The art of photographer, media producer, and mixed media artist Mark Vitaris is sweeping in style and scope. Through his art, he preserves that which is ephemeral. He believes there is an intimate connection between the forms his art takes and the circumstances from which it derives.
For much of his professional and artistic career, location photography has been his chosen métier. His work is project-based, honed from decades of professional assignments employing natural light and conditions to interpret visual concepts.
Vitaris earned a B.A. in Communications, from the University of Ottawa (Canada). His award winning work has been widely exhibited and is included in private and public collections provincially, nationally, and internationally. His mixed media art works can be seen at Vitaris Mixed Media. He resides in Calgary, Alberta.