Meet Mark Sink

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mark Sink. 

Hi Mark, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started out in life with an artistic family that always encouraged creativity and the importance of art in life. Along the way at each level in school, I had teachers that took extra time with me, saw something in me that was different. I was a severely dyslectic right-brain left-handed kid. I was struggling with the educational system falling back. Thank heavens for a few insightful teachers that took me under their wings and inspired my creativity and instilled a belief in myself. I was always a square peg trying to fit in a round hole. I am very lucky at each stage of my life I had someone encourage me and believe in my creative efforts. This continues up till today. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Making a living from fine art photography and curating has always been a nonmonetary passion. As with today with social media, one tends to gauge yourself by others’ accomplishments and status. There is always someone better, bigger, smarter, prettier. The trick for me is to be passionate and follow, your heart with side blinders on. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a private art consultant, I represent and curate local and international cutting-edge fine art photography, I’m a co-founder of The Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, founder of the Month of Photography Denver and The Big Picture Street art projects, and the Denver Collage Club. My personal fine art photography is shown and collected worldwide. Currently, I am specializing in Collodion Wet Plate Photography and Collage. My wife Kristen Hatgi Sink and I offer studio photography services that include, portraits, product, architectural, and fashion. I am most proud of and greatly enjoying raising our six-year-old daughter Poppy. I am an art activist. When most are striving to obtain more megapixels and photoshop tricks, my personal work is analog reverse technology, i.e., lost photography processes and collage. 

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
From my start, I have formed art salons. It’s curating of sorts. You pick talent that you admire and inspire you and invite them to a dinner salon/show and tell. This self-curated gathering of talent has many rewards. Look at art history with any great moments. All are groups. Its power in numbers. And also, is much much easier to get an exhibition with a group rather than solo. Community is a keyword. If I look back from the start of my career, I was curating groups of talent I was interested in even before I knew what the term and title of curator meant. I did it with a mail art publication (gathering work sent in) and binding it into a book called the Codex. Museum book stores loved them. Early early internet I curated a group called the Fine Art Board FAB. A place where we could meet talk, show work and I soon invited them to a show called Off The Highway in a real-life gallery. The Wall Street Journal wrote it up at the first Internet Art Show. I started a fine art photography group from dinner salons in my home called The Denver Salon which traveled to NYC and museums. Also inspired by the Houston Fotofest gathering of talent and curator community I founded the Month of Photography in Denver … This would simply be think tank salons in my backyard of like-minded people putting ideas and dreams into a group discussion. Also in this community salon power in numbers is a salon of photography festivals around the world we brought together into one site The Festival of Light (crazy great networking there) This also is how we started our Museum of Contemporary Art Denver… simply with dreamers in my back yard. Art for arts sake and not profit… Now it’s a world-class institution. Currently, I have a college group that meets called The Denver Collage Club. We exhibit regularly. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/marksink
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marksink
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marksinkphoto
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/marksinkphoto
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCairg5MMC8a2cYBX5LQpW3g
• Other: https://gallerysink.com/

Image Credits
Mark Sink