Artist Spotlight: Mark Susinno

“It’s not the raw material itself, but its emotional and creative effect that has his attention. Each canvas is a new journey into his own emotions and creativity, fueled by his pursuit of fish and the beautiful surroundings – both above water and below – in which he finds them.”

Since winning the 1986 Maryland Trout Stamp contest, Mark Susinno has been concentrating on art professionally, specializing in painting underwater depictions of freshwater and saltwater game fish and scenes of fly fishermen pursuing their obsession. His own passion for fishing, combined with a need to gather reference material, have led Mark all across the globe – to Alaska in search of Pacific salmon, trout, charr, sheefish, grayling, and pike; to Labrador for big brook trout, to Scotland for browns and rainbows; to Texas for big largemouth bass – and too many other places to name for his beloved smallmouth bass.

But Mark himself best sums up his approach to painting in his own words: 

“I’m a fisherman and that fact affects how I approach making paintings of game fish. I enjoy suggesting the sense of light and space of the shallow-water aquatic environment, but I also feel the need to present the fish themselves such that they are recognizable to the average fisherman, who is most familiar with how a fish looks when it is out of water. When painting fish (whether in oil or acrylic,) my main focus is on creating an interesting abstract arrangement of shapes, colors, textures, and patterns, which I hope will also convey a more or less convincing impression of an under-water scene.”

This winter, The American Museum of Fly Fishing did a feature on our wonderful artist Mark Susinno in the winter edition of the Museum’s journal, The American Fly Fisher! Head to our press section here to read the article featured in the journal and let us know your thoughts in the comments below! 

View Mark’s available work from both Sportsman’s Palette and Fisher Stillman below, and head to his profile on Sportsman’s Palette here to view his full biography and sold works.

Inquire here on purchasing any one of Mark’s beautiful paintings we have available! 

• 

• 

• 

•