Mark Powell, wielding an extraordinary artistic vision, breathes life into the bygone through his remarkable creations. He takes weathered relics like old maps, playing cards, board games, periodicals, and antique documents, some of which trace their origins back to the seventeenth century, and transforms them into mesmerizing canvases. His medium of choice? A simple Bic biro pen, which he wields with breathtaking precision to craft intricately detailed pen and ink portraits. These portraits not only capture the essence of his nearly always anonymous, elderly subjects but also convey a profound sense of history etched in every line and wrinkle. Powell's artistic alchemy establishes an evocative, at times haunting, dialogue between his subjects and the very materials on which they are portrayed. While many of his works remain shrouded in narrative ambiguity, certain pieces reverberate with an unmistakable undercurrent of social commentary. Take, for example, "American Tourists" (2020), a piece that superimposes the image of an aged Native American over a map of Manhattan island, a composition that prompts viewers to reflect on layered histories and perspectives.