Riverview’s Mark Seamans spent years helping rehabilitate inmates about to be released from prison. Now, he has freed his own creative spirit.
The up and coming local artist is making a name for himself in the art world for his talent and his heart.
“I think when you find the drive and you really want to do something anyone can do it,” said Seamans who spent five years working in a wood shop training soon-to-be-released prisoners. “It was like a training slash rehabilitation program where we used to work with offenders”
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Just over a year ago, Seamans says his wife bought him some drawing pencils for Christmas. She hoped sketching might help relieve some of his workplace stress.
No wanting to disappoint his wife, Seamans says he thought he would give sketching a shot. He dabbled in art way back in high school but hadn’t picked up a pencil to sketch for more than 15 years.
He says he’ll never forget when his pencil first hit the paper.
“I had drawn this woman’s face and realized wow this is kinda fun,” he said.
That’s when the man who had worked with prisoners for 5 years unlocked the tender heart of an artist.
“I have a pretty bug heart and I like to help people in as much ways as I can and even though it’s just a drawing it can bring out a lot of emotions in people”
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Inspired by the tattoos of his two daughters inked on each arm, Seamans is now producing and selling sketches so strong and powerful that people are seeking him out.
“I started posting some stuff on Facebook and eventually I just had people asking me if they could place orders,” he said.
He has produced and sold at least 300 original sketches in the past year.
He loves to draw celebrities, but his favorites pieces are the deeply personal pieces commissioned by his clients. Most are capturing the likeness of family members who have have passed on.
“A lot of memorials. A lot of times families will want to incorporate family members that have not gotten to meet children or grandchildren and try to incorporate everything together as one picture,” he said. “When I show somebody a picture and all of a sudden they go balling into tears that is pretty rewarding.”
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