Artist: Jean Marshall
Born: Bedford, England, November 1945
Jean was born in a large family the second youngest of 5 children in the picturesque setting of Bedford, England, a small town on the river Ouse.
Growing up in such surroundings Jean loved drawing from as early as she can remember and always being with a sketchpad in hand. This early ability saw her painting a mural for the visiting Bishop at Saint Gregory Secondary School.
Whishing to pursue Art as a career, Jean studied at Luton Art School from 1961-63. Then in 1964 she migrated to the United States where she worked in Queens, New York and Florida, returning to England in 1966. Jean settled in Northamptonshire where she continued working and exhibiting locally.
In 1981 she immigrated to Australia where she worked on her art personally before exhibiting her work in Galleries and entering Award Exhibitions, then, holding her first Solo Exhibition in 1997. Jean also undertook working trips to Italy and then England in 1993 to maintain her desire of experience and diversity in her work.
Jean predominantly uses acrylics and some oils in her works which display a rich texture and ever-changing palette which is carefully selected for her individual pieces. This palette is also selected to convey a feeling or a mood from the piece. Jean does not concentrate on a particular theme or subject but rather focuses on capturing emotions and interrelationships. These may be the innocence portrayed between children and animals, human emotion, relationships within nature and with still lifes, the form and contours of landscapes. She also likes to include character, shapes or aspects which create an interest or which may catch the eye thus keeping the audiences’ eye wandering over the canvas.
Jean finds her painting takes her on an emotional rollercoaster with each individual piece, and feeling elated when a piece is completed and it ‘all works out’. ‘Starting in front of a blank canvas where anything can happen and you can take it in the direction you want’.
Jean would like to continue to paint forever, concentrate on her work and not allowing herself to be influenced by outside factors in order to produce work that excites and that portrays a dynamic and expressive characteristic, which is also personal to her.