Mark L. Emerson creates abstract paintings in which color, shape, line and pattern interact with a rhythmic energy influenced by jazz and geometry. He earned his M.F.A. in painting and drawing from UC Davis, where the art program’s emphasis on experimentation and individual approaches to materials provided an important context for his development as an artist. Emerson builds his compositions from vibrant, fragmented fields of color, using repeated shapes and directional lines to create movement and visual harmony. Based in Northern California, Emerson has combined his studio practice with decades of teaching, curating and arts advocacy. He has taught at Sierra College and exhibited widely in the region, contributing to Northern California’s continuing traditions of abstraction while influencing subsequent generations of artists through his work as an educator.