Prior to starting this charity, Mark had been an Artist for over 30 years, with his work featured in top art publications, awarded and exhibited throughout America, with much of his work hanging in private and corporation collections all over the World.

In addition to this his art career, Mark is the CEO of "ArtSmartCities" and a national award winning Consultant to cities across America, showing them how to use the arts to revitalize blighted neighborhoods, and is revered for his successful creation and implementation of the “Paducah Artist Relocation Program,” in Paducah, Kentucky. This cutting edge program won the Governor’s Award in the Arts, the Kentucky Chapter of the American Planning Association Distinguished Planning Award, the Kentucky Earth Day Award for Preservation, the national award from the American Planning Association for a Special Community Initiative, and the Rudy Bruner award for Urban Excellence.

Mark has painted 5500 portraits of shelter dogs and devoted his life to using his art for social change. He works full time for An Act of Dog