MEPS

" My art is me, it is a set or scene that tells a personal story for each to interpret
in his own way"!

MEPS, the artistic name for Marcus Antonius Jansen, was born in 1968 in Manhattan, New York . The early part of his childhood was spent with his Jamaican mother, Audrey Lois Hines, and his grandparents Sidney and Hermine Hines on Boynton Avenue, in the Bronx.   His father, of German descent, joined in the raising of his son at the age of one.   As a result, his ethnic and cultural roots are very diverse.
Jansen began his career as an artist at age six, when his painting of a male lion was chosen for display in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan. At the age of ten, his parents moved Jansen  to Germany to escape life in the city and to provide him with an opportunity to experience another culture and language. Racism and culture shock caused Jansen to become withdrawn throughout his teen years, although his energy and need to express himself seemed to help trouble find him.  In 1983, he became involved in the Graffiti arts scene and hip hop subculture. He showed his artwork in Europe and received his first recognition from media and critics. In 1984, Jansen graduated from high school.   Soon after, he completed a three-year apprenticeship in painting, then studied decorating and color for two years. He continued to show his artwork at every opportunity, while pursuing
an opportunity in a different form of art: music.  While pursuing his passion of painting, Jansen made money by painting small commissions, designing and selling Graffiti art on T-shirt's, designing logos and performing break-dancing in nightclubs.
In 1990, at the age of 21 he became a member of the US Armed Forces and was immediately sent to serve in the Gulf War after basic training. He began painting again in his free time and this time using different resources, a different attitude and creating a different kind of art.  In 1997, by then a Sergeant, he left the Armed Forces, after serving overseas in Saudi Arabia, Korea and Germany Jansen, who still resides in Germany, has since focused his time on developing his art and style of work. He has had over twenty successful exhibitions in 1998, showing his work in Europe and the United States.   His next major
exhibition is in May 1999 at the Galerie Sued in Magdeburg, formerly East Germany.
Jansen's paintings reflect his past and present life experiences, as well as images of his thoughts, visions, and feelings. Jansen uses primarily oil/lacquer spray-paint, with spatulas and brush.  Each piece is original; he makes no copies.  "I use anything that's available to complete a piece and let my emotions and feelings express what I have to show".