A childhood naturalist, Mark spent his formative years in the woods that surrounded the family home. His tiny bedroom was a trove of tanks of the living, bottles and jars of the dead and dissected owl pellets from the barn.
At 16, bored of preserving and pickling, Bell picked up a camera.
At 18 he travelled to London to chase the dream of a photographer.After a few years, with an agent and with work published in Blitz and Vogue, he fell in love with making making furniture, making pieces from found objects procured from the streets and skips of Hackney. Commissions came from individuals such as Alan Ayckbourn and institutions including The Royal National Theatre. Mark exhibited at the ICA and he created an installation at EARTH, Art of a changing world at The Royal Academy.
His career morphed to become a Creative Director. He went on to found two design agencies, Warm Rain and latterly Mark Lawson Bell Studio, under the moniker of Plinth Creative. Their client lists citing some of the world’s top brands, from ABSOLUT, to Veuve Clicquot. They won a design award for a Pringle of Scotland interior, and featured in many design books.
He was the Artistic Director of ‘sketch’ in London. By all accounts the most creative collection of restaurants and bars under one roof in Mayfair.
He is now concentrating on his own work. For many years people have said ‘You are an artist, do your own work’.
So he is.
He lives and works in Hastings, East Sussex.
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