Mark Whalen
interview • jay howell
intro • sterling bartlett
The Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson famously wrote about a strange case involving a Doctor named Jekyll and his alter ego, one Edward Hyde. The novella’s protagonist/antagonist famously flip flops from living as a sociable, mild-mannered doctor to a wild seeker of vice by drinking a serum. I’ve definitely tippled said serum with Sydney-born artist Mark Whalen. I’ve seen the transformation firsthand. Less so with his longtime friend Jay Howell, but I’ve heard tales… I’ve seen the drawings of couples 69’ing while skating down the street, the amateur tattoos poked into friends and neighbors. The evidence is there, and the diagnosis is clear: What we have on our hands is a dual case of Jekyll-and-Hydeism.
Now while the hedonistic Hyde analogy may play well to the lads in the back holding the tall cans, it is really the parallel to the good doctor that is at the heart of their stories and friendship. Since meeting in San Francisco in 2007 both have worked tirelessly at their crafts, and have spent more time than would be considered reasonable in the pursuit of their respective endeavors. Galleries have come and gone, fortunes have changed hands. Both have since packed house and moved far from their homes to land in sunny Los Angeles, California.
It is here that we catch up with the artists in conversation about Mark’s process, his formidable work ethic, and a few hints that there may just be a beaker of serum tucked behind a flat file somewhere in his studio, ready to facilitate the change.