Mark grabs firewood for the bonfire he and his wife, Melissa Whitley, host every Friday night with some friends at his home in Smiths Grove on Friday, March 13. Mark said he found the quote, “When times are dark, build a crackling fire, and gather good people,” in a poem written by Silas House. He painted the quote on the storage container and posted an image of the quote on social media. Silas House reposted it on his Instagram.
Striving for Peace
Mark Whitley said he has strived for peace as long as he can remember. Growing up in Barren County, Kentucky, he said he learned from his mother what was right and what was wrong. He did not understand why people did not get along. A part of this comes from his past. His grandfather, Arthur B. Alexandar, Jr., was a pacifist and an advocate against war. Alexandar was drafted during WWII and worked with searchlights that detected enemy aircraft at night. He never used a weapon during his time in the war. Mark works hard to keep those values alive through the roles he fills as a father, husband, woodworker and musician.
“I’ve spent my life longing for peace. I’ve never understood how war ever made anything better,” Mark said.
Mark looks at how old the tree in his yard was after it died from termites. “You will make great furniture for me one day,” Mark said to the tree.
Mark cleans parts of a desk he glued together for a client in his woodworking shop in Smiths Grove, Kentucky, on Tuesday, March 10. He said he only has 10 minutes before the glue starts to dry.
Mark’s life has always been surrounded by wood. He said he grew up in a cabinet shop near Smiths Grove, where he now owns property surrounded by trees and a creek nearby. After one of the trees in his yard died, he brought part of it to his woodworking shop in the basement of his home.
Mark said he works in his studio from 8:15 a.m. to noon every weekday. “My whole reason for making furniture is to add beauty to the world in my own way,” Mark said.
Mark said woodworking was not initially his plan in life. He received a bachelor’s degree in Peace and Religious Studies at Chapman University in 1998 with plans to become a minister. When ministry did not work out, he said he found a knack for making furniture. His talent started to gain recognition over time, which earned him awards and gave him opportunities to show his work across the country. He prefers custom work over shows now. He finds making furniture as his way to bring peace to people.
Mark said he got the peace sign tattoo in 2001 after he graduated from college in 1998 at Chapman University with a bachelor’s degree in Peace and Religious Studies. “My love of the peace sign, which originated to represent nuclear disarmament, is my outward representation of my beliefs,” Mark said.
“My whole reason for making furniture is to add beauty to the world in my own way,” Mark said.
Mark’s neighbor, Alex Lewis, and Mark load parts of a bed onto Mark’s side-by-side for Lewis at Mark Whitley’s studio in Smiths Grove, Kentucky, on Thursday, March 26. Lewis asked Mark to build an extra bed for their home, but they will not be able to build it until the mattress comes in.
Mark and Melissa Whitley met at a Superbowl party in 2001 when he was a part of the band Dry Land Fish as a musician. Mark said he remembers they would just “goof off” at Melissa’s grandmother’s farm with a four-wheeler. That inspired Mark to buy property with the intention for Melissa and himself to live.
Mark tries his motorbike he built with his wife, Melissa Whitley, at his property in Smiths Grove. Mark said he does not normally ride motorbikes but thinks that they are fun to build. He said he took it to an art exhibit, but the bike has not left his property since.
Melissa and Mark married in 2005, and Mark built their home for them in 2003. Melissa works at Barren County’s Hope Harbor and comes home from work around dinnertime. Mark will often cook meals for Melissa and their 17-year-old son, Briar.
Mark and Melissa prepare dinner at their home. Mark was preparing a smoked chicken with baked beans, mashed potatoes, and rolls for himself and Melissa. Melissa goes to work at the Barren County Hope Harbor and comes home from work around dinnertime. Mark’s song, “Woman Work,” tells about how he takes on some traditional roles of the wife.
Since COVID-19, Melissa and Mark host a bonfire every Friday night at their place in Smith Grove. They started to do bonfires during the pandemic and never stopped. “We (Melissa and Mark) have become closer because of it,” Mark said.
Mark and Melissa go inside their home after they turn everything off for the night from the bonfire. They are waiting for their son, Briar, to come home that night. Briar typically likes to go out with friends on Friday nights.
In his free time, Mark performs locally as a musician. He said the songs he writes come to him as soon as he wakes up, and then he keeps them in his head before he writes them down. These songs revolve around his friends and his family. Mark said he memorizes all his lyrics and only lists the names of the songs he looks at every time he performs.
Mark sings at the White Squirrel Brewery in Bowling Green, Kentucky, on Saturday, Feb. 21. He said music will come to him as soon as he gets out of bed, and he will write it down from there. “All of my songs tell a story,” Mark said.
When Mark played with Dry Land Fish, the band became popular in Bowling Green. This made Mark well-known in Bowling Green, but the band disbanded in the early 2000s.
An audience member during a White Squirrel Brewery concert where Mark played asked him to perform for their 50th birthday party. The birthday party featured a band from Nashville, Cage the Elephant. Cage the Elephant said they remembered Mark from Dry Land Fish when they were growing up. They wanted him to record music with them in Nashville.
Carol and Kevin Crowe,left, listen to Mark sing during Kevin’s 50th Birthday party in Bowling Green, Kentucky, on Saturday, March 28. Kevin invited Mark to sing for his birthday when he saw him play at White Squirrel. Kevin said that Mark reminded him of John Prine. Kevin’s favorite song is “The Giant.”
After Mark and Melissa have dinner, Mark goes to his porch to smoke a cigarette. He likes to watch the trees bloom in the spring. “I love it when the buds come out,” Mark said. “Love it.”
“I try to go through life treating people and the world with kindness,” Mark said.
