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The Road Home and a Missing Minster....

27/5/2014

"Garrowby Hill" - original watercolour by Glenn Marshall
30" x 22"
Painted on Saunders Waterford 140lb CP paper with Winsor & Newton artists paints

How can you 'miss' York Minster? After all it is one of the most well known buildings in the world. Well I did! But who put me right? Garrowby Hill is a well known landmark on the main road between York and Bridlington. Back in 2004 this was my regular commute and the painting was originally entitled "Homeward Bound" as I lived in York at the time. I wanted to paint it as you get spectacular views over the Vale of York as you descend the steep slope. It has been painted many times but most famously by David Hockney in 1998. Incredibly six years later he was looking over my shoulder as I worked on mine. He liked the painting but.. "You haven't put the Minster in." was his comment. I had not as I had been concentrating on the sunset and its effects. Even though he explained where to look, It took me several more rides home before I finally spotted it. I added a few marks to give an impression of it on my watercolour. So there you are - painting completed courtesy of the world's greatest living artist.

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May Blossom

19/5/2014

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"May Blossom" - original watercolour by Glenn Marshall

Yes - it's that time of the year again -when the hedgerows burst into life especially the hawthorn trees which are suddenly weighed down with an abundance of blossom - can only be Spring! All the seasons have their glories but surely Spring is special with the renewal of life and the promise of new beginnings. This is a painting of May blossom that I did in 2006 and is the lane near where we used to live in Skelton on the outskirts of York. The strange wooden construction is a footway for when the River Ouse floods its banks so that you can still get to Overton from Skelton albeit on foot!

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Haiku and Nettle Tea.......

13/5/2014

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"Sun and wind and rain and hail
Four seasons - one day
Grimwith - not grim - hidden gem."

Sketches are so important for a landscape painter. You might not always have your paints and easel with you but a sketchbook is a must when you are out and about. I use an A5 size which is not too bulky and easily transportable - it goes with me wherever I go. At first I used to make copious colour notes on the sketch but this tended to obscure the overall atmosphere of the scene and what inspired me especially if there was a long gap between sketch and painting. So I tried a different method as an aide-memoir - the haiku. This is a traditional Japanese art form - a sort of poem consisting of just three lines containing seven, five and seven syllables. Clearly brevity is the order of the day. I don't claim to be a poet but the mental effort of distilling your impressions into such a few short words coupled with the time spent producing the sketch leaves an indelible memory of the whole experience. I can look at this sketch and recall the whole pleasurable day spent strolling round this lovely reservoir in the midst of the Yorkshire Dales. Click on this link if you would like to see the finished painting.

Here's another sketch from the same day. We were enjoying our cup of nettle tea (try it - it is the most refreshing drink there is - promise!) sat on the parapet. We had walked almost the full length of the perimeter of the lake but as we rested I noticed these oystercatchers going about their business. They were a long way from the sea but evidently there must have been plenty of food for them. I never turned this sketch into a painting but who knows...maybe one day. Nearly ten years later the scene is still so fresh to me. Here's the haiku:

"Patience, patience, wait so still
Oystercatcher watch...
In, out - shake it all about!"

So go on give it a try...and the nettle tea...you will enjoy it. Glenn

Click to see cards and prints of paintings by Glenn Marshall

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Four for the Cellar...

7/5/2014

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These are the sketches for four watercolours painted exclusively for The Cellar Gallery, Grape Lane in Whitby - a very fitting venue for these reminders of a constant love affair I have had with the North Yorkshire Moors. The moors was my subject matter when I first started to paint and the place I often return to when seeking inspiration. Though often bleak and desolate especially in winter, they always retain their stunning beauty whatever the season. If you would like to see the finished paintings please click on the individual sketches. I hope you like them and that they give you some idea of what this special remote place is like....and if you're in Whitby please call in The Cellar Gallery to see the originals. Glenn

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Winter Light on Lastingham Rigg

2/5/2014

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"Winter Light on Lastingham Rigg" - original watercolour by Glenn Marshall
12" x 8"
Painted on Saunders Waterford 140lb CP paper with Winsor & Newton artists paints

For three years this was our Christmas walk - a welcome interlude from the season's hectic activity - from Lastingham up the Rigg to Anna's Cross high on the moors above Rosedale Abbey. I remember on one walk we were surrounded by storm clouds but it never rained on us. It's been a while since we were up there so this is a very free interpretation of an old sketch. The aim is to portray just how bleak and desolate the moors can be though they never lose their haunting beauty. The original painting can only be seen at The Cellar Gallery in Whitby. Glenn

Click to see prints and cards of paintings by Glenn Marshall

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Wet Road to Westerdale

1/5/2014

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"Wet Road to Westerdale" - original watercolour by Glenn Marshall
12" x 8"
Painted on Saunders Waterford 140lb CP NOT paper with Winsor & Newton artists paints

It never rains but it........yes the sun does not always shine on the North Yorkshire Moors! Sometimes it rains and rains very hard. Strangely this can one of the best times to be there with the heavy skies and the damp atmosphere. This is the road to Westerdale and it has its ups and downs even in good weather, so can be quite tricky in bad. The challenge of the painting was to portray that wetness on the road and the very subdued tones of the rainy landscape. You can decide for yourself whether I succeeded or not, but to see the original you will have to visit The Cellar Gallery in Whitby. Glenn

Click to buy cards and prints of paintings by Glenn Marshall

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The Road Home and a Missing Minster....

May Blossom

Haiku and Nettle Tea.......

Four for the Cellar...

Winter Light on Lastingham Rigg

Wet Road to Westerdale

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