About MarkLoyd — A Lifetime of Creativity

Creativity has never been something I could neatly separate from the rest of my life. It has simply been the way I see things.

I studied art at the University of Washington, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, and went on to build a career that allowed me to work across many creative disciplines. Over the years, that has included graphic design, illustration, painting, sculpture, architectural and commercial interior design, advertising, and eventually writing and illustrating books.

I have always enjoyed moving between those worlds. I might be working at a drawing table one day, designing a space the next, or standing in front of an easel trying to capture the light and character of a place. To me, they are all connected. Each begins with an idea and the question: What could this become?

That curiosity also found its way into the homes and places my wife and I created together. We custom-designed our home on Vashon Island in Washington, where living close to the water and the changing Northwest landscape became another source of inspiration. Years later, retirement brought us south to the desert of Palm Desert, California—a very different landscape, but one equally rich in color, light, texture and character.

Travel has been another important part of my creative life. My wife and I have wandered through remarkable places together, often discovering that the unexpected moments become the ones we remember most. Sometimes those journeys have been aboard airplanes or ships; other times they have happened behind the wheel of a classic automobile, taking the slower road simply because it looked more interesting.

But perhaps the most meaningful journey has been discovering that the stories closest to home can be the ones most worth telling.

My wife's father—whom everyone affectionately called Papa—was one of those natural storytellers. He had a quiet wisdom, a generous spirit and a deep love of family. The stories and traditions surrounding him, an old family beach house and the Oregon coast stayed with me for years.

Eventually, those memories found their way onto my drawing table and became the inspiration for Papa Beach™: The Painted Rock, a story I wrote and illustrated about family, imagination, kindness and the small things we leave behind for another generation.

That project reminded me why I began creating in the first place.

A painting, a book, a photograph, an old car or even a simple story shared around a table can carry a memory forward. The medium may change, but the purpose remains much the same.

Create something worth remembering—and, whenever possible, something worth passing along.