Marcos was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He received a B.A. in fine art from the State University of New York at Geneseo in 2001. Marcos also earned an additional B.F.A. in animation and visual effects from the Academy of Art University in 2008, where he served as a part-time faculty member.

Shih's work entails visualizing urban scenes that impart a cinematic experience. An avid follower of current and past film directors, he often dreams of compositions that evoke an alternate reality. Marcos tries to capture an emotional disparity and solitude that is often felt in an urban environment.

Working in oils allows him to layer realism and richness onto each painting. Using a traditional and contemporary approach, his technique involves "wet-on-wet":http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wet-on-wet applications. Shih currently lives and works in Los Angeles, CA.