Mark Raynes Roberts
Mark Raynes Roberts is an internationally recognized crystal artist, painter and photographer, whose works of art have been presented to royalty, heads of state, sports superstars and to many distinguished leaders in their chosen fields. In 1984, he established Raynes Art & Design Ltd, in Toronto, Canada, and is a Fellow of the prestigious Guild of Glass Engravers in London, England. Recipients of his crystal art have included Dr. Nelson Mandela, the Prime Minister of Canada, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Muhammad Ali and Roger Federer. His works of art reside in corporate and private art collections around the world, and recent exhibitions have been held in London, England, Vimy, France, New York City, U.S.A. and was the first crystal artist invited by the prestigious Gardiner Museum, in Toronto, to hold a solo exhibition. His personal interest focuses on issues related to human transcendence and the issues that challenge humanity including equality, spirituality, diversity, the environment, and the capacity to have hope in the face of adversity.
Artist Statement
“I am proud and grateful to be celebrating 40 years as a crystal artist and designer in Canada, and truly appreciate the support of my clients (many of which are now friends) in this great country which has allowed me to develop my skill and artistry. Crystal continues to intrigue me as a canvas that provides limitless properties for narrative landscapes, both spiritual and natural, real and surreal. It can reflect and distort, and the signature engraving techniques I employ convey a message that is at once ethereal and complex. The refractive qualities of crystal are the perfect canvas for my dreamscapes, and evolution which has been informed from traveling the world and viewing the amazing beauty of nature in all its forms, and my own deep interest in the human spirit and how we relate to the rhythms of life which connect us all. To feel the emotion is to understand the art.”
