Born in Miami in 1946, Mark Farina was raised in upstate New York. He received a golf scholarship to Florida State University where he became interested in art, graduating with a B.A. in Art and Art History. Later he spent six months studying art history in Florence.

Farina began concentrating on fine art, painting and teaching in the mid 90s. Since then his work has been accepted in juried shows and won numerous awards throughout the United States. He continues teaching on the Monterey Peninsula at the Carmel Adult School, Monterey Peninsula College, the Carmel Foundation and Pacific Grove Art Center. A member of the Carmel Art Association since April 2003, Farina is a resident of Pacific Grove where he also maintains a studio.