Glenn Marshall - Yorkshire Artist
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reunions, rudeness and a real star....

29/7/2013

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.......or look at the picture not the frame!

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"Winter Falls" Original watercolour by Glenn Marshall
Last week was a 'funny old week' as they say. I finished two paintings including the one above as part of a trio for the Cellar gallery in Whitby which is run by some  friends of mine. On Sunday we met up with some old friends from the past while attending 'Bligny Day' at the Leeds Minster - more on that later. But it was Monday morning that set off this train of thought. We'd enjoyed a lovely walk on the beach with Bonnie and were recuperating with our friend Patricia at the top of the steps (well over 100) after the hard climb. Now I have never met Patricia but her family have donated a bench in her memory at a very strategic point at the top of the steps. We, and I suspect many others, are very grateful to rest awhile with her memory until we get our breath back. We were gazing out to sea admiring the view when one of our neighbours joined us. He asked me some good questions about the view - "how would I set about painting it?", "where would I start?" etc and finally we touched on what makes an artist so different from everybody else. I always get a bit embarrassed when the conversation strays into this sort of territory. Artists have always been held in some reverence but to us who practise the art of painting it seems nothing special - it's just something we do. Therein may lie the answer to the question - we just do it! Once you've got the bug everything in front of your eyes is transformed into a potential subject. Instinctively you are making the best composition, noting the effects of  light,contrasts, shapes and breaking things down to background, middle distance and foreground. But it did set me thinking and I came to the conclusion that of all the qualities you need, the most important is the ability to focus on the scene and put everything else completely out of your mind. Hence we can sit there totally transfixed, painting in the mind, but outwardly daydreaming...takes a bit of time for a non painting partner to accept how vital this process is! Let's have a look at a couple of examples: 
The first image is a painting in progress (click if you want to see finished painting) but can you see it, or are you distracted by  the board? What about the second one? Do you like it? But will your perception of it be altered with a bit more information:
Yes it's big - 60" x 44" and even bigger in the frame of course...but does it make it a better painting? Of course not - it's still the painting that matters- not the frame.
Anyway - back to Bligny Day. Many moons ago I worked in the Ministry of Defence as a chief clerk with the Yorkshire Volunteers. Bligny Day is an annual ceremony to remember the Regiment's past  held at Leeds Minster. This was a great opportunity to meet up with old friends and their families after a gap of thirty three years. I never even knew that Leeds had a minster but off we went to meet up with our friends there. Like me, you would probably have expected a warm Christian welcome when we got there - wrong - in fact I met some of the rudest people I have had the misfortune to encounter in my whole life. In context and location their 'welcome' was so bizarre to make it laughable! Not unreasonably after a long drive from Bridlington, Merice needed the loo. A very imposing lady told her in no uncertain terms that she was not allowed as the toilets had been requisitioned for the use of the soldiers taking part in the parade and were occupied. When Merice dared to investigate for herself another harridan descended on her. She repeated the 'mantra' about the soldiers. When being told politely that the soldiers would not be occupying the cubicles forever and that Merice had come a long way that morning, the woman replied "Mmmph, does she expect me to get her a bucket!". Incredible isn't it...and no wonder the churches are losing customers. She carried on in the same vein - "I'm talking to you", she asserted angrily at one point. A sergeant-major couldn't have done it better! She was so fierce we escaped to the pub next door for a coffee, lovely bacon sandwich and a proper welcome. We managed to laugh about the whole thing but I was amazed at her rudeness though it did not spoil what turned out to be a wonderful day. Finally to round things off and a practical application of looking at the picture not the frame, I come to my star of the week. One of the friends that we met after a thirty year gap has had a lot of serious illness and operations resulting in changes to her appearance. To her immense credit she has overcome all this with  courage and humour..... her 'frame' may have slightly altered but her'picture' is still very beautiful!
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IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED......

22/7/2013

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Here's a little test for you. Have a look at the two paintings above and see what you think. I painted them as the first two of a set of four specifically for a gallery in Whitby. They were hung on my studio walls ostensibly as finished paintings ready for the gallery. I have made it a habit to keep paintings in view for a week or two before finally committing them to be seen by the public. I used to just Blu tack them to the walls but recently have taken to putting them in a frame while I do my review. To me the glass is the equivalent of the oil painter's (and acrylic painters too) coat of varnish, and it helps to see them as they will appear on site.
So - be honest - have you noticed things that need changing or working on? I'm sure you will have - I did...eventually! 
Let's start with 'Forest Trod' (the one on the left). The more I looked at it, the more concerned I became. I had made a couple of basic mistakes. The trees on the right are the wrong tone. They are too dark for the harmony of the piece and together with the very dark leaves, they form a 'black hole' that sucks your gaze into it and will not let you pass. Even if you can get away and manage to get to the stop of the stairs, again you reach a full stop - there doesn't seem anywhere else to go! For someone who likes to lead viewers into my paintings this is not good. You'll see it better with these details:
Picture...the end of the line?
In 'Bridges', I had made the elementary mistake of blocking the end of the wooden bridge - there was no way through so the painting stopped there! So what to do? In most cases I will shrug my shoulders, give myself a kick up the you know what for making such silly mistakes and bin it, consoling myself with the thought that it's only a piece of paper! Now I class myself as an experienced painter so you might be thinking how did you manage to make such basic mistakes? I'm sure a lot of fellow painters reading this will know exactly what happened. I was more interested in what had actually inspired me rather than the whole picture. In 'Forest Trod' I had been drawn by the light on the steps and spent my time focusing on getting that right at the expense of the rest of the scene. In 'Bridges' I had been attracted by and concentrated on the unusual shadows in the foreground so misread and misunderstood my references drawings and photos when I got  into the studio. Now you may have heard it said that watercolour is the hardest medium to master because you can't rectify your mistakes. While this is generally true, I felt I had nothing to lose by having a go at putting things right. I work with transparent colours so washing out is easier for me. I mix my colours on the paper so my palette never changes which means, in theory, I can duplicate colours and shades. So here are the results:

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"Forest Trod" - original watercolour by Glenn Marshall
The shadows now lead you past the the trees on the right, whose tones have been softened,and on up the steps. At the top there is more foliage and hazy tree trunks, hinting at further places to explore.
And finally in 'Bridges' I opened the gate!
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"Bridges" - original watercolour by Glenn Marshall
We will keep making mistakes but sometimes it is worth not giving up and having a go at putting things right -after all what have you got to lose?
A full range of prints and cards of these and all paintings by Glenn Marshall is available to purchase.
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Out in the woods where nobody goes.......

9/7/2013

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....... or the adventures of 'Treeman' in Silpho Forest.
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'Treeman' at work......well could you ever call this work?
Where do like to be on hot summer days - on the beach...lounging by the pool? Well I love being in forests (some of you may have noticed by now!) - there is always a feeling of calm and serenity when you are surrounded by trees and of course plenty of shade on a hot sunny day. In the middle of of our recent hot spell I set off with Merice and Bonnie to visit Silpho Forest in North Yorkshire. I have been many times but am never disappointed by the endless  variety of light and shade in this ancient place. It's a great place to set up camp for the day and a great place to paint - especially if you like trees of course! So after a delicious picnic (and a short.... well....actually quite a  long rest) I decided to set up my easel and start to paint. Painting outdoors is great fun of course but it has its drawbacks- the first being- just how do you decide what to paint when confronted with so much beauty and nature in the raw? 
PictureSilpho Forest - pencil sketch
So how do you set about choosing your subject? I look for the light mainly, as this is the very core of my art. So I chose this particular scene because I loved the way the path leads you into it. It has a tree with a very strong shape to act as a focus and the light was casting nice shadows onto the path. The path was well trodden and covered in old leaves from last Autumn so it has a nice warm red/brown colour to it. This pencil sketch would provide the basis of the painting and I would need it as I knew I would not have enough time to finish it on site.... too old or too lazy...take your pick. I chose not to take a photo but decided to work from the sketch and my memories of the day.

That's why it is so important to visit the scene of a painting even if you are intending to paint it back home in the studio. The time taken to make a sketch imprints impressions on your brain in a way that no photo can. You absorb the smell and the sounds - things impossible to capture on the camera (well not yet!). Your memories help you to put onto  paper the whole impression of 'being there'. Real places make real paintings. So the next step is to do the drawing onto my paper and then get out the brushes.
That was as far as I got outdoors. Fish and chips were calling, and at my age - have to be answered - no point in rushing. It had been a great afternoon and I had made a good start on the painting. Altogether a very liberating experience and what can be more liberating than peeing outdoors in a forest! Anyway back to the studio to finish off the following day:
So...would you like to see the finished painting? I hope so - but here it is anyway!
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"Silpho Forest" Original watercolour by Glenn Marshall
A full range of cards and prints of "Silpho Forest" are available to purchase.
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Villages, pubs and paintings

1/7/2013

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"Waiting for Sunset" Original Watercolour by Glenn Marshall
The 'typical' English village was a constant source of inspiration for Victorian watercolour painters. I accept that they tended to paint a very idyllic portrait of rural life but nevertheless they have left us with a visual record of a time and place now gone. In fact, without their efforts, we would not have such an accurate knowledge of this past way of life. One of the very best of these Victorian painters was Helen Allingham. Have a look at her paintings - they really are something special. Although there are many modern watercolour painters that I much admire, I have to admit I am always drawn to these very traditional painters of the past such as Helen Allingham. They had a genuine skill with the medium that had to be learned. This took time and effort on their part but for me, it was very worthwhile. This is my homage to their hard work. From the moment I began to paint this was the 'look' I wanted to achieve. Very old fashioned, I admit...but I'm old enough (won't say "wise enough" - too many people who know me will be reading this!) not to worry about that. So this is a typical village scene - river flowing gently under a warm sky, sheep grazing on common land, simple buildings and of course...the village church. And, let's not forget - somewhere behind the church will be that other mainstay of village life - the village pub! 
Picture"Ship Inn, Sewerby" Original watercolour by Glenn Marshall
I mention the village pub because sadly, this icon of village life is fast disappearing! I was brought up in a small village called Gildersome. Situated in the West Riding of Yorkshire it had five mills (all gone now of course), four churches and six pubs (just two left now!), a Working Men's Club (another endangered species), a Liberal Club and the only drinking establishment I was forbidden to visit - the Conservative Club (my mother was a staunch Labour supporter and when I was old enough to go drinking she said "I don't mind where you go or even what you do but if I ever find out you have been in the Conservative Club- you will be in big trouble!". Do you know what...I have never once been in there.).
All the pubs had their own character and clientele. 'The Spread Eagle' catered for the lively Saturday night crowd out looking for a good time. It was well known as a meeting place for the opposite sexes. 'The King's Arms' on the opposite side of the road was always full of railway workers.These two and the two stations were demolished to make way for the M62 motorway which clipped the very top edge of the village. 'The New Inn', still prospering today, catered for the outer edge of the village where all the new houses had been built... a cut above the rest! The other still remaining pub is 'The Old Griffin Head'. This was frequented by the cricket team (until they built their own clubhouse - that's another drinking establishment to add to the list.) and had the dubious distinction of being the centre of a wife swapping scandal that engulfed and transfixed the village. In my day the publican was one Harold Williamson who had played for Leeds United Football Club and Wales. We soon worked out that if we wanted a 'late 'un', all we had to do was get him on the topic of football. Off he would go upstairs and bring down his treasured number 10 football shirt that he had swapped with the great Pele himself after an international match versus Brazil at Ninian Park....we knew we were OK for a very pleasant hour or two.
That leaves 'the' village pub - 'The Junction Inn'. Situated next to the village green, it was the epicentre of village life. It's most famous landlord was called Dave Bennett. Known simply as 'Bennett', he was an ex rugby league player. He was a legendary figure in village folklore and it was a sad day when he retired. You could get anything at the 'Junkie' from fresh caught rabbits to ancient motor bikes. The men gathered in the 'tap oile' to drink and play 'dommies' (dominoes) until their womenfolk turned up later when they had to retire t'lounge to get a babycham for their loved one! The language in the tap oile was colourful to say the least but in the lounge there was never any swearing. Of course no woman would ever venture into the tap oile back then! It was a rite of passage really. You started at fifteen up at the King's Arms. Nobody knew you up there so you could get away with being underage. It was the same with the New Inn, but you had to be eighteen before you dare risk the Junkie - everybody's dad drank in there. It has now closed down along with so many other bastions of village life. As you go through villages today it is depressing to see so many wonderful buildings derelict and boarded up - the heart of a village now abandoned and all those memories gone. There are many reasons for this decline but it is still so sad. I live in the small village of Sewerby and we are very fortunate that we have a thriving pub - 'The Ship Inn'. I painted it once and we have even held art workshops there - a great experience. So if you've got a pub in you village - appreciate it and ....use it. Cheers!






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    Professional artist now semi retired and enjoying being eccentric!

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