Bored Panda reached out to the artist Mark Rogers to learn more about his paintings, as well as his opinion regarding memes that reinterpreted his art and got shared widely in this format.

Mark wrote: “If they bring joy to people then I think that’s a good thing. I am pretty cool with the memes as long as they aren’t hateful or offensive. I have no control or say in the matter, so I don’t worry about it. On a positive note, maybe they expose my paintings to people who may not otherwise see them. Some of the memes are even pretty funny!”

Memes often simplify or exaggerate certain elements of the original content. Therefore, we asked Mark to share whether he came across any memes that surprised him with how they interpreted his art.

“The only memes that surprise me are the 'somewhat accurate' memes. Accurate, in the sense that they might have picked up something weird about me, specifically. There have been a few memes calling out loner introverts or things having to do with spirituality that I have found sort of spot on,” explained Mark.

Besides the memes, there is another reason why people enjoy Mark’s art. No matter how many times you’ve seen his paintings, there always seems to be another level to them. The alien and paranormal narrative also gives a lot of intrigue, leaving us guessing what he meant by it.

To get a better understanding of why aliens are a hot topic for him, we asked Mark to share what inspired him to create such mysterious art. He wrote: “I have been interested in the paranormal since I was a little kid. I was raised Catholic. I no longer practice, but I still have a magical world view and I have always been obsessed with ghosts, magick, monsters, demons, and aliens for as long as I can remember. I think I started drawing aliens—and other things—in elementary school.”

Mark explained a bit more about his artwork: “For readers who are new to my work, 'The Southwestern Bellows' is the magical world that lives in my head and it is where my paintings take place. It is like Middle Earth, or Narnia, but set in a world similar to the American West and populated by pioneers from the American 1850s as well as a variety of aliens and other creatures.

I came up with the world initially through my meditation practice, and then it slowly began to grow. I have been a lifelong reader of fantasy fiction, so worldbuilding seemed natural and somewhat necessary for me as a creative person. The land was inspired by learning about the Oregon Trail as a kid, visits to small-town history museums, and trips to see family in the Southwest Desert. And of course, this is a place where aliens have secret underground science temples, where they steal human nightmares.”

So what should we as viewers take away from Mark’s art, you might ask? He wrote: “A sense of spookiness, entertainment, joy, and wonder!”

And lastly, Mark added: “If you would like to learn more, you are welcome to follow me on Instagram or sign up for my newsletter at www.markrogersart.com”