“I just chopped up a big pile of kindling cause winter is coming.”

“I work on two desks but Desk 1 is my primary spot. I made that desk 10 years ago in my parents back yard while a had the flu. I was super sick but had to get it done that day. My wife asked my mom where I was and she said that I was in the backyard playing with wood. The desk is old, wobbly and hard to work on but I can’t see replacing it as it has moved with me for so many years and 1000’s of miles. I sit at it for 8-10 hours a day and sometimes my back hurts. The red plastic box below the desk is great for resting my feet but it is also full of files of images that are quite helpful.”

“Desk 2 is mainly for collage and digital work. I hate that desk because I don’t much care for working on the computer. I was my parents dinner table that I took 8 years ago without asking. Sometimes they ask for it back but I figure I need it more than them so I am keeping it.”

Mark Mulroney was born amidst the ecstasy of the Carter administration. He grew up with three brothers and a lizard. His parents encouraged him to set up his desk like an accountant so that he could focus on his homework. This was good advice as his grades steadily improved. As an adult Mulroney has become rather hermetic and rarely leaves the house except to pull the trash cans to the curb or play sports with strangers.

FROM YOUR DESKS: How do you work?

MARK MULRONEY: Everyday. I get up around 7:30 and am generally at my desk by 8:30. I take a 20 minute lunch break and watch the Daily Show then get back to work until 6 or 7. If my wife is traveling than I just sit at my desk all day and night unless I go to bed or to the bathroom. I really like being at my desk.

FYD: What is your favorite sentimental object at your workspace and why?

MM: I always have a picture of my wife by my desk. It is a reminder for me not to be a jerk and to be thankful that I have a wife that thinks it’s OK for me to sit at home all day drawing dirty pictures. (Pictured right: Mark’s wife as a youngster).

FYD: What is your favorite or most required work tool?

MM: Time. No matter what I am working on time is the most important tool I can have.

I really like being at my desk.

FYD: Your work uses cutouts and collage style materials. What kind of pop culture did you grow up with via comics, books, movies?

MM: I grew up with a lot of Catholic books for kids. Lots of books where kids were instructed to respect their elders and worship the crucified Christ. Baseball cards were a big deal as well when I was a kid. As I got older Iron Maiden record covers were very important. I copied all of them and that is how I started taking drawing more seriously.

FYD: Who is the dirtiest comic book character ?

MM: Archie. He is a narrow-minded bigot that is always two-timing either Betty or Veronica.

FYD: Most misunderstood?

MM: Calendar Man. He appears in a few Bat Man comics and I don’t think anyone knows what he is about. I think his side-kick might be Leap Year Man.

FYD: Best-looking?

MM: Wonder Woman without a doubt. If I had ever questioned my heterosexuality once I saw Linda Carter as Wonder Woman I was all in for costumed women.

FYD: Is it safe to say you’re a Boob man?
MM: I guess so. I have this theory that I think might apply to everyone. I think that the first person that you feel that you have a chance to have sex with but don’t will always stick with you. So that whatever you found attractive about that person will be something that you will always pursue because you did not take advantage of the opportunity when you had the chance.

I grew up with a lot of Catholic books for kids.

FYD: Where does this appreciation stem from?

MM: My first real girlfriend I suppose. Although there was this cashier at the grocery store when I was really little that had giant boobs. I would always try and persuade my Mom to go in her aisle no matter how long the line was.

FYD: In today’s culture; there seems to be a fair amount of Double D’s out there, yeah?

MM: I guess but I suspect a lot of fraud.

FYD: You are a grand sketchbook master. Do you revisit your work often, as in thumb through the pages?

MM: Always. I often go back and look at sketchbooks that are 10 years old sometimes. Perhaps an idea I had 10 years ago makes sense today. My sketchbooks are my best work. It is where things are spontaneous and unfiltered. There are a lot of spectacular disasters in my sketchbooks.

FYD: I’ve read your quite the racquetball player. How did you pick it up?

MM: I needed something where I knew whether or not I won or lost. Art can’t be easily quantified. Sales are nice but that doesn’t mean that the work is really all that great. If that were the case we’d all have to admit that Thomas Kinkade is the greatest artist of our time…maybe he is.

FYD: What is your New Years Resolution?

MM: To lose weight, exercise more, stop smoking, spend more time with family, really apply myself, become an astronaut, stop beating my neighbors and go to church more often.