Meet Mark Zimmerman | Chief Scribbler at Artist and Writer

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

Hi Mark, we’d love to hear what makes you happy.
Little things matter a good deal when it comes to joyful daily living. I keep a running list of “Fuzz Joys,” little nonspecific things in life that bring joy. The opposite of pet peeves. Credit to the photographer Bonny Fleming for coining the phrase and noticing first.

FUZZ JOYS (my partial running list)

Frosty grass crunching underfoot.
Cats in the morning sunshine.
Horses slurping up grain from a bucket.
Kissing the back of your lover’s neck.
The sweet and cheery voice of a chickadee.
Reaching to pet a dog’s head and having her lift it to meet my hand.
Your lover’s laugh and her smile.
Hugs from your brother.
Butter.
Alpenglow.

My two-column list is three double-spaced pages long. It ends (for now) with: Wet beach sand between your toes. It helps to notice little joyful bits of the day, which helps string good days together.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I write as much as I paint, maybe more, and my first novel is finally nearing completion. I studied painting in the mid-90s and have, since that time, pursued and refined my landscape abstractions of the High Plains and the Black Hills, which I call home. I don’t know of another artist working in my style or using my techniques. My first painting class was in the middle of grad school, a 500-level Independent Study in Painting course. I never took Painting 101, and nobody in grad school was interested in teaching me how to paint. The focus was strictly on what I painted, so in terms of technique, I am self-taught. Little I do is by the book. Was it easy – no. Was there help – yes, and it mattered at crucial points in my life. In return, I consciously try to give back, share, and offer a hand. Life is not a zero-sum game.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I call the Black Hills of South Dakota home, so first, my best friend and I check out our Green Ink Gallery and Studios, which my artist wife and I built in the barn on our 30 acres in a secluded mountain valley. The place is chockful of my drawings and paintings, Mary’s drawings, and original relief block prints, making our gallery door perhaps the most surprising portal you can step through in the Hills. Next, we all hike up the creek with the dog, exploring a natural world we know intimately, and we spend the evening catching up on the patio as darkness falls and the moon lifts above the ridges.

We must drive the Wildlife Loop in Custer State Park and hike a Wind Cave National Park trail. Dinner is in downtown Rapid City at Ugly Graffiti, where every bite is fine. On day three, we hike up Little Devils Tower in the Black Hills, explore the Cathedral Spires, and then see the top of Black Elk Peak (the highest point between the Rockies and the Pyrenees). We dine in Hill City at the Alpine Inn and each order a homemade dessert.

I’m gonna run my friend ragged because we drive to the Badlands National Park for some off-trail hiking in the backcountry the next day. Assuming the rattlesnakes and buffalo encounters go well, it’s back to Rapid City for dinner at the Wine Cellar. A day of rest is in order, so we take in the Dahl Arts Center, Art House, the Suzie Cappa Art Center (where my wife and I work some as visiting artists), and then wander over to the Firehouse Brewing Company for dinner.

Likely it’s time to see a world-class cave, so we choose either Jewel Cave National Monument or go back to Wind Cave and take a subterranean tour this time. Before all is said and done, we check out Mount Rushmore, which is always the last place to go but a must-stop, too.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My wife, Mary, deserves more than a bit of credit and recognition for her support, love, and encouragement. I write, paint, hike, and enjoy tremendous freedom to pursue my passions. Mary stands by me in dark hours and celebrates my work and successes. She is, as I call her, Love.

Website: greeninkgalleryandstudios.com

Other: grmountain.com