Meet John-Mark Gleadow | Artist, oil painter

We had the good fortune of connecting with John-Mark Gleadow and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi John-Mark, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I began John-Mark Fine Art out of necessity. The artworld, especially, seems littered with many unscrupulous characters and I was financially burned badly in a couple of difficult situations. It seems every artist has this story. I’ve found family to be the only trustworthy direct representatives, so my wife Susan represents me, dealing with all the galleries that carry my work and I run the  companies that my work is sold through. There is a point where you have to stand up for yourself, not be afraid and not allow others to keep you under their thumbs – which is an easy trap for artists to fall into.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I began college-life as a mechanical engineering major, but I loved the design aspects of the discipline and didn’t want the constraints of the technical side of things, so I switched to the art department. I discovered painting and excelled within the realm of realism, which was kind of a lonely path. It took me years to master portraiture but it became my forte. I was initially selling portraits through a gallery in Washington, D.C., but began to use bookspines as a way of making my compositions more interesting. My Bibliotheque Series was a hit right away in 2006. Collectors are attracted to the themes of my work, the colors I use and the photorealism of my work, especially the portraits. Photorealistic portraits of famous people is the hardest subject matter to paint and my portraits I produce set me apart. Collectors frequently can’t believe they’re looking at a painting. I graduated in 1999 and have worked fulltime as an artist since them, even during those years when there was no income. I’m a perfectionist and always want to win and those were difficult years when I felt I was falling behind. I had to believe in what I was doing, in myself and had to learn perseverance. Gaining gallery representation took 6 years, which feels like forever when you’re in your 20’s. It may sound odd, but I’ve learned to do due-diligence over the years. I was naive when my work began selling but I’ve learned to exercise more wisdom in business. I initially trusted everyone, right away. We have many partners, gallery owners and art consultant we trust explicitly, but those are relationships that have developed over time. My other interests are weightlifting, studying the Bible and being the best dad I can be. My wife and I have 2 children, 11 and 8 and 2 dogs that keep us busy. Being self employed gives me a lot of liberty to drop what I’m doing and spend time with them, and I love that liberty. And they love traveling with us to shows at Disney World and lots of warm locations near beautiful beaches, so they’re really glad that dad’s an artist.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Being situated in the Shenandoah Valley, we’d definitely need to do some hiking and take in the spectacular views. It’s less than 30 minutes from my door to the Appalachian Trail, so it’s convenient. We could do a 3 day trip north on the trail, or if we’re feeling less adventurous, there’s several trails just to our west in the Allegheny Mts. that are great single day hikes. I definitely load the backpack for these calorie burning trips: almonds, jerky, chocolate, sandwiches, fruit and the like. The dogs are great companions – they love it, plus you never can be sure if you’ll meet a black bear, wild cat or even wild boars on your adventure, so there’s a protection aspect to their coming along too. But that’s always fun, weather permitting. It’s only 2 hours to DC, and that’s a wonderful few days excursion to take. There’s some great hotels near the Mall, and you really need a few days to give the Museums a proper view without wearing yourself out. I haven’t discovered the great places for dining in D.C. but have several places we love to frequent in and near Staunton. The Depot is one of our favorite restaurants in town here and we’d have to take a little trip down 81 to the Southern Inn in historic Lexington. The fair at the Southern Inn is second to none, and there are also some great breweries close by that serve fantastic food as well. Stable Craft is probably our favorite. Dining outside, right next to the Blue Ridge Mountains, enjoying conversation by the fire is so pleasurable. We love the atmosphere there.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My wife Susan. She has selflessly supported me for 16 years in my career. She began by being involved in shipping my work and moved on to being my publisher. She never saw herself in the artworld, but stepped right in to be what I needed and I’m forever grateful. My parents also, have supported me all along. They put me through college at the University of Delaware and believed in me and my gift enough to see me through those lean, “starving artist” years. I always put in the hours, to their amazement, and I think their faith has been validated. I wouldn’t be where I am without them.

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