Mark Clarke

Mark Clarke A 5th generation Oregonian, Mark was born on December 31, 1935 in Oregon City and grew up in Junction City, Oregon. Mark’s great great grandfather, Dr. Andrew Clarke homesteaded Clarke’s Four Corners in Clackamas County. He graduated from Junction City High School in 1954. His parents were Melvin Sylvester Clarke and Reva Mae Clarke. They owned and operated Clarkes Truck Shop and Clarkes Ceramics in Junction City. While growing up, Mark disliked summer vacations because he loved school. He enjoyed playing sports, wood working, and imitating radio programs with his high school friends before school, hanging around the school radiator to stay warm. Mark maintained those friendships from high school, continuing regular monthly lunches with the class of ’54 the rest of his life. He started college at Oregon State in 1954 in Industrial Arts. An art class was required in his freshman year and his fate was set. His work was accepted in an Oregon Annual juried exposition at the Portland Art Museum while he was still a student at Oregon State. He was criticized by one of his art professors who opposed students applying for professional exhibitions. Another of his instructors, Nelson Sandgren, became a dear lifelong friend. He transferred to the University of Oregon in 1956 to continue studying art with David McCosh, Andrew Vincent, and others. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 1958. He was drafted into the US Army in 1958 where he served as a clerk in Kentucky. He enjoyed the multi-cultural experience of the Army. He started graduate studies at the U of O in Painting after leaving the Army and received his Masters in Fine Arts with Honors in 1964. While in grad school, he met his lifelong partner, Margaret Coe in 1963 and they were married in 1964. Mark was hired by the U of O Museum of Art, as a curator, in 1964. He worked as an installation designer at the museum for 20 years, with a 9 1/2 year break to paint full time. He was recognized as a major Oregon artist starting in the 1960’s and has been highly collectable since then. He continued to paint daily and show his work for the rest of his life. Mark loved living in Oregon, was committed to his community and was an early morning regular at Full City Coffee, usually sitting at his window table talking and laughing with one of his many good friends. He is survived by his wife, artist Margaret Coe; his son, jazz musician and audio engineer Timothy Clarke and his wife, Nadine Shumake -Clarke of East Aurora, NY; Mark’s daughter, gallery owner Karin Clarke; and his grandchildren Ava Schwartz of Eugene and Colin and Oliver Clarke of East Aurora, NY. His grandson Marcus Schwartz preceded him in death. He is also survived by his sisters Carole Ann Kuhnhenn of Pittsburg and Sandra Barnes of Junction City. A memorial service and reception will be held at the Shedd Institute for the Arts at 2:00 p.m. Sunday, January 17th. Donations can be made to The Mark Clarke Memorial Expense Fund at Oregon Community Credit Union, or to a visual arts program of their choice. Arrangements entrusted to Musgrove Family Mortuary. Please access the obituary and you are invited to sign the guestbook at musgroves.com