The story behind the art.

By Darien Davies

Mark Rupprecht, aka Bulk Styles, grew up in his mother’s art gallery. His world was immersed with different forms of art and mediums before he was even aware of what anything was.

Intrigued, he started painting as a little kid and set his sights on art full time when he was in high school. Now, he’s been pursuing art professionally for the past 15 years.

These days, he’s a seasoned artist with his louder-than-life pieces everywhere, including Civil Society’s Brewing’s new location in West Palm Beach, all three Lynora’s locations, and Leftovers Cafe in Jupiter, among others. While his newest piece, “For Teresa,” might be smaller scale, it’s still large and loud.

“For pieces like this, they typically are not planned,” said Bulks, who enjoys the freedom that being an artist allows in every aspect of his life. “An idea pops into my head and I try to make it. I start with a sketch, I usually don’t have measurements or anything. They are freestyled, which is most of the fun; it kind of comes to life on its own.”

Named after a “wonderful human being” and long-time collector of his, Bulks said Teresa was the inspiration for the piece because she always encourages him to freestyle his work and gives him complete freedom. This is exactly what he did when creating this piece, so he named it as a tribute to her.

The piece, made with wood and acrylic paint, currently resides in Styles’ private collection at his studio. He hopes that it will go to someone who enjoys having it as much as he enjoyed making it.

“It is the first piece of handcrafted furniture in a mini-series that incorporates the vintage comic book/pop art style that inspires a lot of my work,” he said, who mentioned that the piece is special because of its uniqueness. “The table displays a more modern look and reflects the sleek minimalistic style I lean toward in decorating. It’s a manifestation of my passion for preserving the old and incorporating it with the new.”