Mark Sheridan

Although he was an accomplished painter of harbor and coastal scenes, Mark MacDonald Sheridan typically listed himself in official documents as an interior decorator.

Sheridan was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and pursued his education locally at the Georgia School of Technology (now the Georgia Institute of Technology) where the emphasis was on mechanical engineering. He continued on to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia. When he returned to Atlanta, the 1911 city directory listed him as an interior decorator, and his draft card six years later noted the same occupation. An advertisement in the Atlanta Constitution for February 1910 described his work at the Atlanta Theater as follows: "The color scheme of the theatre, the stained glass, and the ‘Canterbury Pilgrims' mosaic on the exterior were designed by … MARK M. SHERIDAN designer of decorations and stained glass—314 English American Building." Another article indicates that he designed portions of the interior, such as the curtain and seats. He also spoke frequently to the Atlanta Woman's Club about design and art.

By 1917 Sheridan had moved to Savannah, Georgia. Later he was involved with the Savannah Art Club (now Savannah Art Association). Its founding members in 1920 were Lila Cabaniss, Emma Wilkins, Hattie Saussy, and Christopher Murphy. In the mid-1920s, it was responsible for inviting northern artists Eliot Clark and William Chadwick to teach classes at the Telfair Academy of the Arts and Sciences (now the Telfair Museums). Along with local artists Corrie McCallum and William Halsey, and Savannah painters Saussy, Augusta Oelschig, and Murphy, Sheridan exhibited with the Savannah Art Club. Sheridan was also a member of the board of the Telfair Museums, and he created a mural for the DeSoto Beach Club, a popular resort on Tybee Island near Savannah.

Sheridan spent six months abroad in the fall and winter of 1937–1938, sailing on the HMS Queen Mary. Where he traveled is not known. In 1948 Sheridan moved to Ridgeland, South Carolina, thirty-two miles inland from where he had been living for almost thirty years. In the 1950 census, he considered himself an industrial designer. When it came to painting, he often depicted the harbor area of Savannah or beach scenes with low horizons. Though there is a dearth of available artwork and exhibition information on Sheridan, his style and community involvement established him as a clear representative of the coastal southern art scene.