Open Studio Weekend

"Late Evening at Tintern Abbey"
Original watercolour
by
Glenn Marshall

http://glenn-marshall.artistwebsites.com/featured/-late-evening-at-tintern-abbey-glenn-marshall.html

We are holding an open studio weekend here at Finley House, Sewerby. We will be open from 1230 - 1530 both days Saturday and Sunday 3rd and 4th November 2012,  so if you happen to be in the area, please call in - you will be made most welcome. For full details just get in touch at:
         marshall-artz@live.co.uk
Open studios are a 'good' thing. It gives people the opportunity to see the painter and the paintings in a more relaxed atmosphere and the painter the chance to explain the 'thinking' behind a particular piece.
The location is also free from what I call the 'gallery' effect.
Now I am a great supporter of the gallery system - painters like me would not be able to survive without it and I appreciate the efforts they make on my behalf especially in these difficult times!
However as someone who has worked in a few galleries, I have observed a few things - the 'gallery' effect!
First of all people tend to speak in whispers as they do at the dentists.
This could be because their comments are not very favourable - "A kid could do that!", "How much??", we have all certainly heard those sort of remarks. But I think there is a more underlying cause. People are still a bit in awe of 'art'. So they keep their opinions nice and low in case they appear foolish to other viewers or gallery staff. This applies especially to contemporary art. Joe public thinks they have to like it even if they don't understand it..they don't want to seem  old fashioned or uncool, do they.
The other good thing about an open studio concerns choice.
At your place there is only your stuff to consider - either they like what you do or they don't!
Sometimes in a gallery people can be spoilt for choice and end up not buying anything as they just can't decide what they like best.
Anyway, time to start getting ready - prints to frame, cards to print etc, etc. and hope for a successful weekend - look forward to seeing you!

Cheating art!

"Towards Bridlington from Dane's Dyke"
Original watercolour
by
Glenn Marshall
http://glenn-marshall.artistwebsites.com/featured/towards-bridlington-from-danes-dyke-glenn-marshall.html

"The moment you cheat for the sake of beauty, you know you're an artist."
Do you know who said that? All will be revealed....
.......I am very fortunate to live where I do,with just a five minute walk to the beach. We have wonderful beaches here on the east coast, and the ones around Bridlington are among the best!
This is a view towards the town from the beach where Dane's Dyke meets the sea. I remember the first time I visited this wonderful beach at low tide and just how inspired I was (and still am) by this amazing vista. This is painted in  tea time light which makes it a crepuscular painting (go on - look it up).
One of the chief joys of being a painter as opposed to a photographer is that we can change things at will to improve composition, tone or even colour to make our painting more beautiful. For example - the chief attraction here is the light all pointing to and centered upon the distinctive Bridlington skyline but ..was the scene just like this? Of course not. These days anyone can capture exactitude with the modern wonders of digital photography, so the painter must do something more than faithfully reproduce a scene..he must enhance it by putting 'feeling' into it. Every painting contains something of the painter and this is what makes it special and unique. This also explains why no painter ever paints the same scene in the same way as, of course, we are all different.
So do we cheat for the sake of beauty...of course!
And the author of the above quote...David Hockney, Bridlington's most famous resident.

The power of the press!

"Burton Agnes Hall, Spring 2006"
Original watercolour
by
Glenn Marshall

Recently I was pleased to donate an A3 giclee print of this 2006 painting as part of a charity auction run by the East Riding Council and was even more pleased when it realised £150!
However at the time I painted the original, perhaps I was not so pleased.
For several years I had the  pleasure of sharing the artist in residence at Burton Agnes Hall with  a good friend - Tony Hogan. Tony is a very well known artist and it was great fun to spend a whole month together painting and enjoying life in general in this lovely location. We were based in the summer house and exhibited our paintings for sale there as well as in the Long Gallery of the house itself....a brilliant setup, I think you will agree.
I probably had the best part of the deal. Because I lived in York at the the time I was given a rent free flat for the full month of April. Now the flat was in the old servants quarters...but who cares...we didn't! For Merice and me it was a free holiday and we even had the grand-kids over for the odd weekend.
Back to the matter in hand...
It was the first day of our residency. We had hung all our paintings and they made a good display even though we said it ourselves. Merice was pottering about in the flat and Eileen, Tony's wife, had returned home so we were on our own.
We were discussing the press visit due the following day.
"Any particular plans for this season?" Tony asked.
I had been mulling over a little project and blurted it out - "I rather fancy having a go at a large painting of the Hall itself." I said. Now I was not, and still am not, particularly inspired by painting buildings but I thought it might be another string to my bow and get me some commissions.
The next day along came the press and we were shepherded around the grounds while the photographer captured us in suitable artistic poses and then back to the summer house for a cuppa and a chat with the reporter. All went well until towards the end of the interview when the reporter asked if we had any special plans for this year. Tony made a suitable reply about his intentions and then added "...and Glenn is going to do a large painting of the Hall this year".
"That's interesting." said the scribbler making his notes with a final flourish before departing to write up his story.
So there it was. I was now totally committed to the large painting of the house!
Well I put it off and off until Tuesday of the last week before I decided to give it a go. I set up my easel with a full sheet of paper directly in front of the house. My intention was to paint the east face of the Hall which would be reflected in the ponds in front to make an unusual view - one that I hadn't seen anyone tackle before.
The drawing was painstaking and took two full days..well not exactly full ..plenty of time off for coffee and meals etc..but you know what I mean. I included every window - go see for yourself if you don't believe me! Finally it was finished and I was so impressed with what I'd done that I decided to take no chances. I scrapped all ideas about reflections in ponds and such like - this was now to be a simple painting of the house in pre-pond days!
The sky and background trees were painted quite loosely but for the building itself I took my time using a very small brush. It is probably the most nerve wracking painting I have ever done but at last it was finished and I had done what I said I would do.
I have done a few 'building' commissions since but never on this scale. In the process I have gained an enormous appreciation and respect  for topographical artists.

Nice to give something...

"Lone Tree at Mattersey"
Original watercolour
by
Glenn Marshall
http://glenn-marshall.artistwebsites.com/products/lone-tree-at-mattersey-glenn-marshall-greeting-card.html

"The essence of all art is to have pleasure in giving pleasure."- Dale Carnegie.

It was December and I was looking for a suitable subject for my 'winter' painting. Although we had lots of snow ourselves I came across a photograph by a good friend - Sally Outram. As well as a talented photographer, Sally is also a rising star in the field of journalism, so I was well pleased when she gave me permission to use her image of this lone tree in Mattersey, near Retford in Nottinghamshire.
We decided to get together and use our efforts to raise some money for the RNLI and managed to raise £300 in a silent auction.

Sally's original photograph

I visited the location and it might be worth painting the same scene in a different season!

When is painting... easy?

'Girl by Moonlight'
iPad painting
by
Glenn Marshall
http://glenn-marshall.artistwebsites.com/featured/girl-bymoonlight-glenn-marshall.html?newartwork=true

I just love  paintings by John Atkinson Grimshaw.
This iPad paintings contains all the elements of a classic Grimshaw 'moonlight'.
It isn't until you try to paint in another painter's style that you realise just how good they are!
I have learned a great deal by studying the work of painters I admire, and trying to capture their effects and way of working has been a great inspiration and benefit to me in the development of my own style.
I will leave you with a telling quote from another man who could paint a bit - Edgar Degas:
"Painting is easy when you don't know how, but very difficult when you do."

How long does it take...?

"Sunset over the Humber Estuary"
iPad painting
by Glenn Marshall
http://glenn-marshall.artistwebsites.com/featured/sunset-over-the-humber-estuary-glenn-marshall.html

Every painter who has ever lived will have been asked the question - "How long did it take you to do that?"
It's a strange question, as if the length of time taken is somehow related to the validity of the painting. Some paintings actually do 'flow' and take very little time while others have to be worked on for a long time.
One of the best answers to the question came from a fellow artist and good friend - Rob Gobel.
A group of us were demonstrating our techniques at an exhibition we were involved with.
Rob works in mixed media and tends to start many, many paintings outdoors and sometimes.... even finishes them if he gets round to it!
The  piece he was working on was begun several years earlier but this particular morning he had been working away for a couple of hours developing his painting.
A passerby stopped and watched him for a while.."How long did it take you to paint this?" he eventually asked.
Without missing a beat Rob, replied so casually, "Oh three years and a couple of hours." Brilliant!
So when you are asked the question again, remember Rob's reply. You might also want to bear in mind a quote from the great James Whistler  -
"An artist is not paid for his labour but for his vision."

Roman Army Bread, Cranberry Cake..and A Walk on the Beach

"After the Storm"
Original watercolour
by
Glenn Marshall
http://glenn-marshall.artistwebsites.com/featured/after-the-storm-glenn-marshall.html

One of the joys of having a dog is that it gets you out of the house ...whatever the weather! This morning it was raining so hard that even Bonnie did not want to venture out.So I baked some bread and made a cake!
We use spelt flour which is an ancient from of wheat introduced to this country by the Romans. I use very basic recipes that adapt whatever the flour or fruit. The only problem with it is that they are very 'moreish'.
 Fortunately the clouds passed out to sea, the sun came out, so off we went.
We are blessed with wonderful beaches here on the east coast and Bridlington can boast some of the best. We walked from Sewerby down to town and back again, taking full advantage of this glorious sunshine while it lasts. The beach was deserted and it really was a delightful experience - good preparation for putting up shelves which is what I am going to do now - who's a busy boy today!