Glenn Marshall - Yorkshire Artist
  • Home
  • Biography
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • GALLERY

Spring Shadows on Woldgate

21/4/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
"Spring Shadows on Woldgate"
​If you do not already know it, I would like to introduce you to Woldgate. Woldgate runs from Bridlington through to our lovely village, Kilham. It is on the site of an old Roman road that used to go further all the way to Eboracum (York to you and me). There are not many centurions marching along it now! It is on a brow so in between the wooded areas, there are lovely vistas of the Yorkshire Wolds.
I have painted it many times and, not surprisingly, so have many other artists including David Hockney, who spent several years in the area as captivated as everyone else by the beauty of the Wolds. His work formed his unique one-man exhibition in the Royal Academy. It was called ‘The Bigger Picture’ and we were fortunate to be invited to the family and friends preview of the show before the official opening.
I noticed these lovely shadows on a recent ‘daily exercise’ walk. Early spring is a great time. The leaves are beginning to appear on the trees and the thickets and hedgerows are already bursting with verdant new life a joy to paint.
See more paintings of Woldgate in this collection
0 Comments

Green Lane off Fordon Road, Yorkshire Wolds

15/4/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
"Green Lane off Fordon Road"
This is another step back in time to 14th September 2004. Back then, I was spending a lot of time with Tony Hogan at his Arts Centre in Rudston. It was also the time when I was starting to earn money from my art. I was selling paintings regularly. Tony had taken me under his wing and was paying me to help with his students. I would drive over from York to meetup at the Bosville Arms. Whatever time I arrived, Eileen, Tony’s wife, insisted I sit down to enjoy one of her full English breakfasts. Then we’d be off for the day painting. It was an exciting and joyful time…and I was learning new things every day. Eileen provided lunch as well, so we could stay out all day.
It was fun working with other painters. The students were an eclectic mix with different ideas and abilities. It fascinated me (still does!) how different people interpreted the same scene in so many ways.
Fordon Road is a good spot to paint. It isn’t too far from base but was right in the middle of the lovely Yorkshire Wolds. It runs from Burton Fleming through to Fordon. Burton Fleming is a thriving village with a splendid pond and several amenities including a well-supported community pub. On the other hand, you might barely notice if you passed through Fordon. It’s a small hamlet rather than a village. This green lane is about halfway between the two.
I did a large sketch spread over two sides of an A4 sketchbook – no idea why because the second page was an extension of the fence and the tree covered Wold. I did make a start on the painting but never got anywhere with it. For this one I concentrated on the left-hand page which features the green lane and is much more interesting.
I have enjoyed painting it very much and hope I have captured the exuberance of those happy times.

Please click to see more of the lovely Yorkshire Wolds
0 Comments

THE PAINTING WITH NO NAME.

11/4/2020

8 Comments

 
Picture
"Forest Study 1"
 
Although this is a special painting for me, it has never been posted before. I must have painted it in early 2003 and like most good things that have happened in my life, it was instigated by Merice albeit inadvertently. We lived in a small village just outside York at the time and Merice had been down to the City to do some shopping. As my greatest encouragement she was always on the lookout for things that would help me as a budding painter. She noticed a book in Waterstones that she liked. It was written by an artist called Nita Engle and was very attractively bound with one of her exciting watercolour paintings.
Reading it not only inspired me but transformed my whole attitude to painting. I had already discovered that you don’t improve at a gradual rate. You improve with sudden leaps forward and then level out again, maybe even dropping a notch or too before the next step up.
Nita’s book was a revelation. It introduced me to the concept of total freedom and joy in expressing yourself. Suddenly I was painting in huge washes letting colours freely flow together. Her central theme was to let the watercolour do the work for you and then add a few details to create a sense of realism. The biggest lesson I learned is that you can’t use too much water in a watercolour painting, and this has become my mantra.
Early experiments with this technique were, of course, total disasters and Merice must have wondered what I was playing at. Then one day this painting ‘happened’. Our dining room had become my studio, so I rushed into the lounge and called Merice – “Do you want to see something amazing?” She did and agreed that I had produced something special. This was a giant leap forward and I have integrated these ideas into my work ever since.
I could hardly wait to see it framed. My mum also lived in the village, so I took it round to show her too. She loved it and wanted to keep it. She always had to pay me something for the paintings and I let her have it for a nominal sum. It hung on her wall for the next fifteen years and I saw it every time I visited. When mum passed away, I got it back and was finally able to take a photograph so I can show it to you.
I have painted many similar scenes and used the same methods in many different subjects, but this painting really is so very special to me as it was the first.
Mum got it so quickly that I never had the chance to even give it a proper name. ‘Forest Study 1’ hardly does it justice, so perhaps you can help me out? If you have any ideas for a suitable title, please let me know. 

8 Comments

Storm on the Road to Halton Gill

9/4/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
"Storm on the Road to Halton Gill"
​I am travelling back in time for this one – back to the 18th August 2004 to be precise. Merice and I were in the Yorkshire Dales. Back then we lived in a village just outside York and we had easy access to the delights of the Dales. We would certainly have taken the shortest route there via Harrogate and Skipton, but on the way home we used to take the scenic route – over the tops to Pateley Bridge, Ripon, Boroughbridge and home without travelling on a main road.
It was the height of summer but there is never any guarantee what the weather will be like up there as It is so very changeable. The sketch was made from the roadside, so I suspect we had stopped for a welcome picnic. As we settled it, out came the sketchbook. I drew it in portrait form, so I have painted it in the same format.  As can happen so quickly in the Dales, a storm was racing towards us, hence the title of sketch and painting. Hopefully it passed over but my memory is not that good!
Can't get out and want to see more of Yorkshire - give me a click
0 Comments

SUNSET DRIVE ON WOLDGATE

21/3/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture

"Sunset Drive on Woldgate"

A couple of weeks ago we were on our way back home after a pleasant stroll on the beach at Bridlington. It turned out to be a spectacular journey. The quickest way to Kilham is to drive straight down Woldgate right into the village. The sun was starting to set as we set off. It is the usual time to get a good sighting of barn owls. And one did indeed oblige, posing happily on a post whilst Merice snapped away on her iPhone. As we got nearer home, the setting sun was providing an awesome end to the day. I drove slowly and Merice took several shots that I was able to reference when I started the painting, but most of what I wanted to portray was already in my head.
Even in these uncertain times Mother Nature is always on hand to provide us with an abundance of beauty – we just have to look!

More Sunsets by Glenn Marshall
0 Comments

Rummaging,  Reminiscing and the River Ribble

15/3/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
"Packhorse Bridge at Stainforth after Rain"
I was having a rummage through some of my art books and came across an old sketch book. On Saturday 3rd June in 2004, I went to Stainforth Foss with my wife Merice. Situated in the Yorkshire Dales, this was the location for a painting I had been commissioned to do, hence our visit.
I know the date because I had recorded it on a series of sketches I made on the day in preparation for the painting. The actual focus of the work was to be the Foss itself, a place where the River Ribble tumbles down a series of cascades, but I made drawings of the surrounding area as well, including this delightful Packhorse Bridge just up from the Foss. Sketches are so important. The time spent doing them implants not just the scene in your mind but also the ‘feel’ and the emotional response to the day. A photograph would have captured the details, but the sketches captured the essence of the area. I had made a few notes which brought back how soggy it was that day. We arrived in the afternoon, but it had been raining all morning. We were glad of our walking boots as we squelched our way to the Foss. We crossed over the bridge on our way. Because of the rain, everything was sparkling and sharp to the eye. The sky was clearing rapidly, and we ended up with a warm end to the day.
This week then, I decided to concentrate on the bridge sketch. I used five colours – French ultramarine, Antwerp blue, Payne’s grey, Windsor yellow and brown madder – and painted it in one sitting in a couple of hours (All right- I might have had a break or two for a cuppa!). But if I get asked the usual question – “How long did it take you to paint that?” – then I can truthfully reply – “Fourteen years.”
I’m looking forward to having another perusal of that old sketchbook to see what else I might find.
Plenty more to see in Yorkshire!​
0 Comments

My First Painting of the New Year

19/1/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
"Blue Light on the Yorkshire Wolds"
The Yorkshire Wolds are just on my doorstep. A couple of days ago, we had a meandering drive through this lovely area. Even on a cold (but bright) winter afternoon it was still inspiring - so much so, that the following day, I dug out an old sketch book and found this composition. I painted it quickly with my usual five colours and here it is. This is the first of many!
More paintings from the Yorkshire Wolds
0 Comments

Diamond Days....

31/7/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
'Hockney's Tunnel from t'Other Side'
 
All days are special of course but some are ‘diamonds’. This sentiment was expressed by my friend and inspirational artist Ashley Jackson and how true it is. Without doubt yesterday was a ‘diamond’ day for me.
It started innocuously enough with our usual routine of taking Dilly for a walk and breakfast. But about 11 o’clock things changed.  I received a singular phone call from another artist friend who lives in Driffield which is about five miles away. He informed me that he was with a lady from South Korea who was trying to find me. Now I’m told that each day is a day full of unlimited possibilities but I have to confess that this startling message was pretty low down on any list I might make of how the day would develop.
So I offered to meet up with her to find out exactly what was going on. On arriving at our meeting place I was greeted by a delightful lady who offered me a polite oriental bow. She is called Kyoungjin Park but happy to be known as ‘Jin’. It transpires that she is an avid David Hockney fan. Apparently he is very big in South Korea and has a huge following there. She had come to the UK specifically to explore the Hockney Trail which meanders its way through the Yorkshire Wolds. Somehow she had obtained my name and knew I was an artist living in Kilham who might be able to help her.
I took her to my house and over a cup of coffee with Merice and my good (!) self she told us about herself and her quest. Fortunately she speaks excellent English and in fact teaches English back in South Korea .Part of the reason for her trip was to assimilate more conversational English that she could take back to her students. She is an artist who is fascinated by the differences between the Western and Oriental approach to art. Her intention is to study for a M.A. degree in art. Conversing together, it was heart-warming to experience the universal language of art but also the universal experience of humanity in general. Despite the cultural divisions she was very similar to us in background and her tales of her childhood and present life were a happy reminder that in reality we are all human beings and that any differences between us are minor and inconsequential. She certainly shares our passion for art and we chatted away freely and enjoyably. Jin wanted to stay the night in Kilham before returning to London the next day for her flight home. We got her settled in at the Blacksmiths Cottage B & B and met up later for a little tour round the village and surrounding area including the famous ‘tunnel’ above. This was followed by an excellent meal at the St Quintins Arms in Harpham. The food was excellent as usual and time just flew by in this excellent and interesting company. Her train was at 6.45 next morning so I gladly volunteered to take her to the station. She has now set off on her long journey back home with our very best wishes and promises of keeping in touch.
She is not going home empty handed. She liked my painting so much that she bought it and a part of the Yorkshire Wolds is now winging its way to South Korea. We also taught her a few ’Yorkshire’ expressions so if you are ever in South Korea and hear “Eee by gum lad” you know where it came from!
Explore more from the Hockney Trail
0 Comments

One of Life's Essentials....?

3/7/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
 Apparently I have developed a slight tremor. I haven't noticed it myself but some people who know me very well have. A quick look on the internet revealed I might be suffering from all sorts of deadly diseases so a trip to a consultant was in order. I duly arrived at Bridlington Hospital for my appointment. Now I just don't 'do' hospitals. Apart from a couple of operations after my accident I have had very little to with doctors let alone consultants. Things are different now they tell me....and they certainly are. First a nurse needed to weigh me and check my blood pressure. You used to just stand on a weighing machine but nowadays it seems you have sit down in a contraption that resembled an old fashioned electric chair we used to see in black and white photos from the USA. Of course they may have took one look at me and decided I was too old and decrepit to stand. Be that as it may I was duly weighed. Asked if would like to know the result in kilos or good old fashioned  lbs and ozs you can guess my reply. I weigh 13st 9lbs. This is the same weight  I was forty years ago when I got married and I still have the same 34" waist so I am classing this as a result.
Next I was whisked off to see the consultant. I asked him if Merice could come in with us to save me the bother of having to try and remember every exact word of our consultation to relay to her later. Mr Jones agreed and off we went into his room. Mr Jones was not Welsh which is neither here or there because he was very open and easy to talk to. He had probably come to the hospital straight after finishing his paper round - well that's how old he looked to me. Anyway he asked me about my bowels and waterworks. Moving on we then came to the technical side of the examination. This consisted of several exercises, the first being clicking my index finger and thumb together as quickly as possible and then touching my nose and his raised finger a good few times. After this he asked me a lot of questions about my general health, medication and memory....but I can't remember them! 
Then I was finally given the diagnosis. I am suffering from a non life threatening condition called "Essential Tremors". Quite why it should be called 'essential' I have no idea. To my mind if something is 'essential' I might actually need it or even want it. Nevertheless it is quite common and one in four of us will get it as we grow old. More important however I suppose is the treatment. Number one option is beta blockers. Although I have no idea what beta blockers are he did kindly read out the possible side effects and they became an immediate no no especially when he told me his second option. It appears that a moderate intake of alcohol is excellent at suppressing the shakes (always thought it was the other way round!) and that many sufferers take a little medicinal drop or two before they are going out or mixing with a group of people.
So to sum up - the only concern I have is that I might end up merrily nodding away to all sorts of unfortunate circumstances. For instance Merice could decide we were going on a raw salad diet for a month and take my unfortunate nods as my assent to her proposal. She wouldn't take advantage of me like that would she? I will finish with a request. When we next meet please, please do not be intensely scrutinising me to see if I have got the shakes - I won't have because I'll be happily half cut....following doctor's orders of course!
The photo shows me finally meeting up with one of my idols - the great Yorkshire artist Ashley Jackson.

0 Comments

O ME MISERUM!.....

8/6/2019

0 Comments

 

          .....or mistakes, mishaps and bird poo!

Picture
"Wild Roses on the Wolds"
Knowing that you, my regular readers, are a very intelligent bunch I thought I'd impress you with a bit of Latin. I got an 'O' Level GSCE in Latin which I must say has been very useful throughout my working life......yeah right. It means "woe is me!" in English or "bugger it!" in Yorkshire. The reasons for my dismay are twofold. Against my better judgement I submitted to exhibit in the Wolds Open which is held at the Pocklington Art Centre. It's a good venue and seemed like a good idea at the time so I was pleasantly surprised when they accepted two of my paintings for the show. I was sent full details of what's what including delivery times. Somehow I managed to get mixed up with the dates and ended up missing the deadline for delivery of said paintings for the show. This means that 'Wild Roses on the Wolds' will definitely not be in the exhibition. Now you will rightly dismiss that as not bad luck but neglect on my part to which I gladly hold up my hand.
However my second cause for dismay is definitely not down to me. When I went into my studio yesterday I found a baby starling. It had somehow managed to get trapped in there overnight.It was obviously terrified but as soon as I opened a window it flew off seemingly none the worse for the experience probably heading post haste for the fat balls on our bird table. However it did leave behind one or two (or three or four) reminders of my unasked for hospitality. I'm sure you can already guess where one of these little mementos ended up. Yup...slap bang in the centre of a recently finished painting waiting to be framed. I can absolutely confirm that watercolour paint does not react well with bird droppings. Ah well perhaps the starling was just 'sharing' its opinion of the painting. Back in the studio today if I dare. See you soon.

0 Comments
<<Previous
    Picture

    Author

    Professional artist now semi retired and enjoying being eccentric!

    Archives

    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.