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820138

Markus Pierson 'MELVIN HAS A DREAM, DIPTYCH'

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:395.00 USD Estimated At:800.00 - 1,230.00 USD
Markus Pierson 'MELVIN HAS A DREAM, DIPTYCH'
Artist: Markus PiersonTitle: Melvin Has a Dream, DiptychMedium: Serigraph on PaperOrientation: verticalImage Size: 12.5 total x 64 total inchesPaper Size: 12.5 ea x 30 ea inchesEdition Size: 175: Signed by the artist, individually numbered, accompanied by certificate of authenticity signed by the publisher.Markus Pierson: Original Stories * * Melvin Has a Dream * * A little after eleven Melvin set down his book, closed his eyes and settled in for a good night's sleep, unaware, that the next eight or so hours would change his life. Melvin was a true bachelor, and though he loved his gal Elena very much, he let her know he was not the marrying kind. "Marriage," he told her, "is like cutting off my arms and handing them to you. Yes, the arms can hold you and keep you safe, but I can no longer use them myself to reach for the sky. From that point on I must focus my gaze on the foreground, and leave the horizon to others. I don't want this, and I doubt you would either." This was before the dream that would change his life. It began with Melvin standing in a field. In the sky above him this appeared: "Unir 1." Melvin couldn't make sense of it. Then Elena appeared, floating slowly across the sky toward him. In his hand was a huge pear. She took a bite of it as she neared him, then handed it to him and said, "Partake, my love, and clear the path. Soon the way will come to you." Melvin took a bite. It was delicious. He handed it back up to her and as she took it she said, "An old proverb will lead you to where I shall be waiting." Melvin spoke, "An old proverb? What, like "You are what you eat?" "And so it shall be," Elena began, "Tell me now, what have you partaken, what shall you be?" "I – we – ate part of a big pear," Melvin replied, "Then we are both parts of a big pair, are we not?" Elena asked. "Uh, yeah. Okay I get it," Melvin said. "And ever shall be. You and I are one, and we are each made larger and more complete by out pairing." With that Elena began to float away, but Melvin stopped her, "What does 'Unir 1' mean?" he asked. "I already told you, my love, fear not, it will come back to you, only slow down." The next day Melvin saw Elena and he promptly proposed. She was more than a little bit surprised, especially after she said yes and he offered her a pear instead of a ring. He said, "It'll come to you." She replied, "It better." * Biography * * Markus Pierson was born in 1961 and raised in the small farming town of Grand Ledge, Michigan, where his father owned a popular restaurant. A self-proclaimed reckless "racer", Markus was the youngest and most challenging of the four Pierson children. * * While a student, an encouraging art teacher swung wide the door to Markus' talent and profoundly moved him. However, the Grand Ledge art scene was somewhat lacking, leading Markus to take on a number of odd jobs before accidentally stumbling upon accounting as a means to making a living. After a near-fatal bout with Crohn's Disease in early 1985, he declared that the accountant was "dead" and in his place was a man pursuing his dream of becoming a successful artist. * * The Coyote Series was born in June of 1986, after Markus heard the Joni Mitchell song, "Coyote." He loved it, played it often and memorized the words. The focus of the song, a guy referred to as "Coyote," is a reckless, footloose Casanova type fellow - Pierson aspired to be the carefree romancer described in those lyrics. Then he did something he'd never done before or since: Markus made a drawing of a song. * * Over the next six months Markus painted billboards by day for a living and drew his Coyotes into the night. To the wall above his desk he taped these words, "No one works this hard and this smart - and has it come to nothing." Within a year, he walked out of Artexpo in New York City with commitments from 110 art galleries who sought to represent his work. * * In the decades that followed, Pierson's work has evolved to include a vast array of paintings, drawings, sculpture, hand-pulled serigraphs and original found-object works. Over time, the metaphor of the Coyote has taken on a more poignant and profound purpose. At its essence, the work urges us to pursue our dreams, wear our hearts on our sleeves, and to celebrate all of life's ups and downs. He has had nearly one hundred solo exhibitions in galleries across America, Australia and New Zealand, while also being featured at various prestigious international fairs including Art Miami, Artexpo New York, Sofa Chicago, Chicago Contemporary & Classic, and palmbeach3. Markus has amassed a collector base which includes Heads of State, major corporations and celebrities worldwide. * * Markus' wife and muse is artist, Sheryl Pierson. The two live and work in a converted loft in Kansas City, Missouri. * * "There's no doubt in my mind that my success has more to do with luck than talent, more to do with stubbornness than vision, more to do with ignorance than insight, but the fact remains that I pursued my dream and attained it against staggering odds. I say this now to anyone who will listen: even if I had failed, it would have been worth it. Better to face a brutal truth than to grow old wondering what might have been. " Markus Pierson *
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