Tom Marshall
Tom Marshall-
Born in Gloucester, UK, Sept 1976
Lives in Branksome and works in the local area.
Art Education:
BA (hons) Fine Art: Falmouth College of Arts, 1999
Story:
I moved from the city to the country, when I was 5- giving me a love for wildlife and the outdoors. As well as football and art, I grew up dry-stone-walling and coppicing trees. At secondary school, I spent every lunch and break of my last 4 years drawing around 1000 portraits of my classmates- really learning how to observe and put a likeness down on paper.
I was never taught to draw or paint, but at art college learnt printmaking techniques. Conceptual art was in, but I could never justify my work. I wanted to make things that looked like things. I graduated without the confidence to pursue art, and so did other things for the next 14 years, making very little art and virtually nothing in colour during that time.
After time in a kitchen in a Christian community, a hospital, a special needs school, and in English as a foreign language, I found myself a single parent of 2 small children and in 2012, it became unsustainable. I left to spend 9 months on Income Support, dealing with stress, depression and exhaustion, and decided to have a go as an artist. Not that clever, as I had never framed a picture, had no contacts and no clue, plus I was out of practice.
I began plein air painting, fitting that in with the kids’ school hours and walking or cycling to nearby places. I don’t have a studio and learnt a lot of experimental press-less printmaking techniques on the kitchen table.
One unusual thing I do, is that I like to make each print from the same printing plate different to all the others, so no.1/6 might be in blue but no.2/6 orange or a different tone or material, and each one is a separate painting- it has its own character, but retains the family likeness. 14 years on, I really love making art and am grateful to be able to do this :)
Selected Solo Shows:
Pictures out of a Rucksack: and Painting Through Sunshine and Storms: Gallery Upstairs- June 2022, 2018, 2016
Kingcombe Centre -Aug 2019
Birds and Beaches, Streets and People: Lighthouse 2015-2016, 2017 and 2018
Familiar Places and Unexpected Stories: The Russell Cotes Museum, Bournemouth- Jan- April 2018
Group/Selected Shows-
New Beginnings, The Hatch Gallery, Christchurch, January, Feb- 2024 :)
Thelma Hulbert Gallery Open Exhibition, Honiton, Aug-Sept 2023
Top Drawer, Gallery Upstairs, June-July 2023 (I curated this)
London Biennale, Chelsea, June 2023
The St Barbe Museum Open 2016, 2018 and 2023
Dance pictures- with Bournemouth Arts Club at Pavilion Dance, Jan 2023
Red House Open Apr 2022 and 2015
Journey, Migration and the Sea Southampton City Gallery- Summer 2020 (online only)
The Drawing Society’s Draw 19 show at The Menier Gallery, London Autumn 2019
Pintar Rapido- Chelsea Old Town Hall, June 2019
Inspired By Nature- Chesil Beach Centre May 2019
The South West Academy Open in Exeter in autumn 2018 and 2017
Bath Society of Artists Summer Open, The Victoria Gallery, Bath 2017
Mottisfont Open 2016
Upcoming/ Past Workshops/ Demonstrations/ Talks for Local Art Societies:
More than Just Pencil- 28th Feb, 2024- Workshop for Poole and East Dorset
Exploring Drawing- Techniques for Fluent Drawing- Poole and East Dorset, Broadstone, and Ferndown Art Societies 2022-23
Pressless Printmaking- Milford on Sea Arts Society, and Forest Arts, New Milton 2019- 2020
Monoprinting – Workshop for Forest Arts, New Milton 2017
Current Community Involvement:
Fresh Talent, Poole, part -time tutor, working alongside artists with learning difficulties since spring 2023- ongoing
Turner’s Nursery Community Orchard, Parkstone- core group- since maybe 2015- ongoing
Tom Marshall 26th January 2024