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If you’re a TV and/or movie buff, odds are that you’ve seen the work of Mark Pollard without realizing it. Currently, Mark oversees art for the HBO hit Vinyl, while also working on the forthcoming Netflix series The OA. His art has otherwise been seen in a wide array of productions, including Happyish, Boardwalk Empire, The Leftovers, Mildred Pierce, The Darjeeling Limited, Ocean’s Twelve, The Bourne Ultimatum, and Spider-Man 3.
The story of how Mark went from a Wisconsin native to an in-demand artist for TV and film isn’t conventional. It is an interesting mixture of working hard, taking chances, and being easy to work with. Even if that journey included an appearance in Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo. Mark always seem to have more than one project going, and his son Chester –- whose band The Nautics released an EP last year titled The Misadventures Of An Indestructibly Melancholy City –- appears to be keeping the Pollard family legacy of artistry moving forward.
Mark spoke to Downtown about the past, present and future of his artist career. My favorite insight from the Q&A was when he noted that it’s “funny what you can learn from your 20-year old self if you look back.”
Having been born in Wisconsin, how did you wind up in New York?
Mark Pollard: I grew up in a family of artists, so I had that in my blood, I guess. My idea of art was a bit more rebellious than my dad’s, who was an established portrait painter. After a stint in San Diego, I ran off to San Francisco, enrolled in art school and joined a punk band. The next stop was obvious — New York in the late 70’s was the place to be.
What is it that keeps you in New York, considering that most movies and television seem to be made out of New York?
M: I love New York. It suits me and actually, plus this is the first year that more TV shows are being made in New York than in Los Angeles. I’m also happy working in Europe and L.A., though…
What was your first paying gig?
M: Funny story…I was studying painting in Chicago when my teacher ran off with a Playboy bunny to San Diego. I ended up following him out there. We would do these kitschy painting demonstrations for women’s clubs and at retirement homes. My teacher would set up an easel, oil paints and a photograph to have me paint it in front of the audience. Then he would turn the photo upside down and tell me to paint it that way for real dramatic effect. At the end, he would turn it right side up to immense applause! They would raffle off the painting, which is what I’d be paid for the day, then we’d celebrate at Red Lobster. Later when I moved to San Francisco, I designed junk mail for Greenpeace to help pay for art school. It seemed that all art students back then designed junk mail.
At what point did you realize that you could turn your art skills into a career?
M: A production designer friend, Mark Friedberg, would send me art projects for his films over the years, a painting for a certain scene or some graphic art for set dressing. Eventually that led to more work and then it snowballed into the job I do now.
M: I say “graphic artist for film,” but no one really knows what that means!
How did you wind up working on Vinyl?
M: I designed some props for Boardwalk Empire, so I kind of knew the creative team. When Vinyl started up, the designer Bill Groom invited me. I really like these guys — Terry Winter and his crew are great people.
When it came to creating art for Vinyl, what sort of direction were you given? Where did designing art come in the creative process versus the script and the music?
M: We wanted to make it as real as possible. The music is a driving force in the look and feel of the show. Usually you need to dive into tons of period research, but I actually came of age when rock was melding into punk, so it was easy for me to channel it. Of course, my mortified teenage son would dispute that claim.
Aside from Vinyl, do you have any other projects coming up that you can talk about?
M: I am working on a Netflix show called The OA, staring Brit Marling. It’s interesting to see how Netflix, Amazon and HBO are changing TV and film production. Today, it seems like everyone in the business in New York is employed. It wasn’t always like that.
In the 1990s, you curated a multimedia installation at The Pace Gallery. Do you have any plans for any sort of exhibit in the future?
M: I curated Directors Drawings: Drawing Into Film, a show about directors who draw as part of the cinematic process. A very fun project. The original idea came from seeing some Fellini drawings that Martin Scorsese owned. From there I tracked down directors who drew in preparation for making a film. It amazed me that it seemed no one had really asked them before about this aspect of the creative process.
The range of styles still fascinate me. Satyajit Ray’s son sent me a package from India of original drawings via regular mail! They were so rare and so beautiful. Scorsese’s own drawings ended up in the show as well, though they were much more storyboard-style drawings. It illustrated how the drawings could be intriguing as both art and function. I don’t have any plans for a future exhibit, but now you got me thinking again.
Is there a credit of yours that you’re most proud of?
M: Not sure if there is a single project, but I am proud to have worked for Wes Anderson and Charlie Kaufman. Both are very interesting artists and their projects are more exciting to work on because they push the boundaries of film-making more than mainstream. They understand and appreciate the artists that work with them.
Were you in Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo? Or is that another Mark Pollard?
M: No comment! Let’s just say we were all young once.
When you’re not busy with your career, how do you like to spend your free time?
M: Those chunks of time in between projects are really valuable. That’s when I can get back to painting for myself in a pure sense. Recently, I’ve rediscovered some elements of early work. That’s got me excited to reinterpret in a new way. Funny what you can learn from your 20-year old self if you look back.
Finally, Mark, any last words for the kids?
M: Hey, just go for it. Do what you love and then hold onto your hat. It’s gonna be a wild ride, so don’t spill your soup. But seriously…
-by Darren Paltrowitz