Mark Braunias

Mark Colin Braunias (20 August 1955 – 17 December 2024) was a New Zealand semi-abstract painter who experimented with quilt making and glass blowing.

After extensive travel, he returned to New Zealand to attend the Ilam School of Art in Christchurch.

He graduated with a BFA from the University of Canterbury, Ilam School of Fine Arts, in 1988, the year of his first solo exhibition.

[1][2] As a child Braunias was inspired by Mad magazine artists, in particular the legendary Bill Elder.

"[3][4] Braunias and three of his brothers suffered from atrial fibrillation, a condition causing an unsteady heartbeat.

An exhibition by Braunias at Headlands Center for the Arts in San Francisco during the artist's residency in 2011. Braunias is the man on the right. Photograph by Heidi De Vries.