Mark Landfear
Mark is a fine-art painter and creative who also loves cooking, great food, and entertaining.
He recalls, as a child, wanting to be an artist. As far back as first grade he was the kid the teacher called on to create seasonal illustrations on the chalk board. In tenth grade he met AnnaMarie Boles, the high school art teacher, and he remembers her changing his life.
“She saw me, believed in me, and gave me permission to be who I was and to create.”
In his senior year, he participated in a multi-state high school art competition that went through a judging process state by state with the finalists having their work displayed at the Portland Art Museum in Portland, Oregon. Mark was one of the finalists, and his painting was hung in the museum.
He went on to study art in college, and over the years has taken many workshops, studying with contemporaries in both abstract and realist styles. His influences have ranged from classic to modern masters, and he was strongly influence by the Northwest Mystic painters: Mark Tobey, Morris Graves, Kenneth Callahan and Guy Anderson.
Mark started his first business, “The Perfect Host” while in his late twenties as a private chef, creating wonderful multi-coursed dinners in people’s homes. He brought everything from the dishes, to crystal, flatware, and flowers. When his crew left in the end the host’s home was spotless and only wonderful memories remained. Hence, “The Perfect Host.”
That business eventually turned into a destination restaurant, “The John Horan House,” and for ten years it was considered one of Washington State’s finest. It was during this time that he met his wife, Dr. Carol Radlo. They sold the Horan House in 1990 and moved to Sammamish, just outside of Seattle, where they currently live. Mark stepped back into his art and built a beautiful studio in his home, but after a number of years he started feeling isolated and decided to start a new business. Surrounded with water, and in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, he decided to buy a classic boat and offer fine dining while cruising the waters around Seattle; Enchantress Cruises was born.
Reflecting on how things often go full circle, what Mark is doing now is very much like his first business, “The Perfect Host.” In fact, the wooden handled flatware he uses on the boat was his flatware used then, and the model of cooking for small private groups is exactly the same.
Now he divides his time. During boating season he entertains his guests with wonderful food and experiences on the Carol M, and time permitting, he is most likely working in his studio creating art.
Please visit and follow Mark’s Instagram pages: @marklanfearart and @enchantresscruises
He plans to launch a new interactive website this fall for his art; stay tuned.
Please feel free to contact Mark for sales or questions regarding his art.