Glenn Marshall - Yorkshire Artist
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A Walk into the Light.........

31/7/2014

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"A Walk into the Light" - original watercolour by Glenn Marshall
  "Develop an infallible technique and then you can throw yourself at the mercy of inspiration."
I came across this saying in a glossy magazine and was suitably motivated by it. I had just started painting and I knew I had so much to learn before I could produce the paintings on paper that were buzzing around in my head. So I began my journey exploring different ways of making watercolour work with me rather than against me. This entailed a lot of effort and a lot of paintings - most of which came nowhere near turning out right. However midst the disappointments came moments of pure joy when some success was achieved and safely stored away for future use. My friend Margaret Hockney (more of whom later in this blog) was very helpful at this time and I always took heed of her advice. After all she had been surrounded by art her whole life so it seemed sensible to listen when she spoke. "If you do something once it could be just a happy accident but if you can repeat it again and again you have developed a technique.", she advised. So I used to practise my successes over and over again until they became second nature. With this in mind it was a fortuitous occurrence when I discovered a cache of early paintings hidden away on my computer gathering dust -not really of course but you know what I mean. It's easy for files to get put in folders and then folders to get put in other folders and before you know it- 'out of sight is out of mind'. But now here they are right in front of me - the successes and lots of failures. One pitfall of becoming a more technically accomplished painter is that you lose the excitement you felt at the beginning of your art journey. In effect you forget to throw yourself at the mercy of inspiration and concentrate on your technical ability to make a painting 'right' by avoiding mistakes. But ultimately it is by taking chances, trying new things and yes - learning from your mistakes - that you become a better painter. So as I look at my early paintings I realise that 'failures' were never 'failures' at all - just part of the process of learning and developing my art. So for our 'Double Vision' exhibition at Bridlington Spa I have deliberately  come out of my comfort zone and tried new things. Sure they didn't all turn out well but I have got the enjoyment back into my work. I am excited and pleased with my recent paintings but you will have to wait until 'Double Vision' from 28th October until 28th November 2014 before you can see if I am right!
Let's invite Margaret back to the page. I got to know her through her friendship with Merice. They were walking together and she told Merice not to be afraid to try different things with her camera - "shoot into light", she said and see what you get. Merice did and was delighted with her photos. I was too and painted 'A Walk into the Light' from one. This was my attempt to capture that blinding moment when you look into the sun. The dazzle hurts your eyes and all surrounding detail fade into contrasting darkness. I hadn't seen this painting for nearly ten years until very recently on my lucky find but am definitely classing it as one of my early successes!
Click to see more paintings by Glenn Marshall
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"Winter on the Ouse"

22/7/2014

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"Winter on the Ouse" - original watercolour by Glenn Marshall
We are in the middle of a heatwave....for once! So this was a nice reminder of things to come and help us to enjoy the sun while it lasts. 
Click for more paintings by Glenn Marshall
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The Waterfall

18/7/2014

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"The Waterfall" - original watercolour by Glenn Marshall
Roundhay Park is a lovely green oasis on the outskirts of Leeds. A traditional Victorian park it has all the trimmings from boating lakes to ruined castles, extensive gardens and lovely woods....and a waterfall. All these were constructed for the edification of the public back then and they still inspire and delight today. Merice was fortunate to grow up with the park on her doorstep so spent a lot of her childhood playing there. She took me there and we explored her childhood memories together. It was a nice day out and I came back full of inspiration. This was a painting that flowed as easily as the waterfall and is a very pleasant memory of a happy day.
Click to see more paintings and prints by Glenn Marshall
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"Autumn on the Ouse"

15/7/2014

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"Autumn on the Ouse" - original watercolour by Glenn marshall
This is a painting of one of my favourite locations - the banks of the beautiful River Ouse. When I lived in Skelton just outside York this was my daily walk. It is inspiring in all seasons but the rich autumn tones reflected in the calm waters made a pleasing composition. I am working on a lot of new stuff and will be posting these in due course (promise!) when it gets a bit nearer to our 'Double Vision' exhibition which runs from 28th October to 28th November 2014. 
Click to see more paintings and prints by Glenn Marshall
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Affordable art direct from the artist...

7/7/2014

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"Fields of Gold" - original watercolour by Glenn Marshall
Spring has turned into summer overnight....or so it seems! Before you ask what summer - take a tour through the beautiful Yorkshire Wolds. The crops have suddenly started to ripen and suddenly the fields have burst into golds from greens. It has happened so quickly - all we need now is for the sunny weather to continue and bathe us in its warmth. This is the painting I have used to launch my own web shop where you can buy affordable art direct from the artist - me! The checkout page is securely encrypted so you can shop in complete safety.  Please have a browse and let me know what you think as this is a new venture. I will be adding more products in due course.   Just click on the picture or follow the link below. Glenn
Click for more paintings by Glenn Marshall
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"Green Peace"

4/7/2014

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"Green Peace, Codbeck Reservoir" - original watercolour by Glenn Marshall
"Everybody 'looks' but  few really 'see'." We are all aware of this or similiar phrases but why do so few actually 'see'? Just consider for a moment how people of today view their natural surroundings on a visit to the countryside for example. Their view of the natural world is mostly seen through a car window at high speed. This means lot's to look at but not much to see because 'seeing' involves a precious commodity - time. In previous generations we experienced the countryside at a much slower pace perhaps on a bike or more usually on foot. This gave us the time to see properly. This raises a couple of questions then in today's fast and busy world - "Is it worth taking the time to see?" and "How can I 'see' properly?". Let's address the first one. The short answer is a resounding yes.  We can discover delightful and new things that we have overlooked as well as appreciating familiar things better.  By taking time to see properly then, we enhance our quality of life. Let's look at the second question. How can we see properly?. Although I am going to use art as my example the principles can be applied to all aspects of life. 
Anybody who has exhibited paintings will be well aware of the different groups of viewers. First - the classic couple - the wife is going round the exhibition slowly looking at the paintings, nodding and making the odd comment. But he is getting out of the room as quickly as possible completely ignoring his wife's remarks. Why? Well the first thing he looked at is the prices and in his experience when his wife is looking at things at leisure this means only one thing - at some time he will have to spend some money! How can I be so certain? Because I do it myself- maybe not at an art exhibition but certainly in a clothes or shoe shop. As Merice constantly remarks the 'look' appears on my face! Another group are fellow artists - they can be easily recognised when they ask you what paints and materials you use. Lastly there are the few who truly see. Is it possible for me and you to join this elite and happy band? I'm certain we all have our individual ways to do this but I'll explain how I do it myself. Let's use the painting above as my example. First thing is to find a comfortable distance from where I can see the whole painting ideally between six to eight feet depending on the size of the painting of course. Examine your first impressions. Do I like it? If yes - why do I like it and what appeals to me? If not - why don't I like it? What is there about the painting that is making me feel this way? Next see if I can connect to the painting through the artist' eyes - what is he trying to say? Perhaps there's a clue in the title of the painting - 'Green Peace, Codbeck Reservoir'. Some artists call their paintings pieces - is the artist making a little pun here? It is mostly green well greenish. But it also makes me think of the Greenpeace political movement and the painting does depicts a pristine country scene and it certainly looks peaceful. Then there's Codbeck Reservoir. I know that location and has the artist captured the feel of the place? All these thoughts are helping me to see the painting. Next I approach the painting for a detailed look. This might reveal a different aspect to the painting not visible from a distance. Then back again for another look before moving on. I might conclude I don't like the painting but at least I've had a proper sight of it. Of course it is very difficult to get the nuances from a print no matter how good the quality - you have to view the original to get the full effect. Which leads me nicely to a reminder about 'Double Vision' which runs from 28th October to 28th November 2014 at Bridlington Spa. There will be a collection of brand new original watercolours for you to enjoy seeing. I look forward to meeting up together if you can make it. Glenn
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    Professional artist now semi retired and enjoying being eccentric!

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