Category Archives: Uncategorized

We all face the challenge of how to carve out the time for the important stuff.  We live busy lives in an increasingly busy world.

This very day I’m working on the habit of consciously living a simpler life.  I ask myself, what can I not do?  What can I do without? Not in an effort to deprive myself or to become a martyr to my art, but simply to make time for the people and practices that are most meaningful to me.

I think of Georgia O’Keefe cloistered in the solitude of her studio in Abiquiu, New Mexico. She left a husband and the art world of New York City to simplify her life and become one of the greatest artists ever.  She carved out the time.  Lots and lots of time.

Let’s keep in touch,

Marshall

July 9, 2019

I’m pretty much a 9 to 5 painter.  I have friends whose studio practices involve working at all hours of the day and night, but that’s not for me.  I need to go to work in the morning and clean my brushes and go home at night.   And when I’m in my studio I paint!  My regimen requires putting paint on the brush and brush on the canvas right off the bat.  I don’t wait for inspiration. I don’t wait for my muse to show up. I go to work and know the ideas will come and the painting will happen!

Long ago I painted with my close friend Terry Nelson and in our shared studio our mantra was “Think it, do it”.  Forty years of art making later I might consider adding one word to the mantra “Think it, do it NOW”. 

Time is flying. 

Marshall

July 2, 2019

It’s show week!  I’m flying off to Santa Fe tomorrow, the paintings are going up on the walls, and the opening is this Friday. I always enjoy time in Santa Fe, the art scene, live music, world class museums, great food, and old friends always make for a good time.  I’m already looking forward to red chile cheese enchiladas at The Shed, green chile at Horseman’s Haven, a chorizo enchilada at Tia Sophia, red chile pork tamales at Johnnie’s Cash Store, and sopapillas at la Choza. Those are some of my regular Santa Fe haunts. But when the trip includes a major exhibition of my work at my all time favorite Canyon Road gallery my anticipation really ramps up!

I would be honored to have you join me!  The artist reception is Friday, July 5, 5-7p.m. at Ventana Fine Art, 400 Canyon Road, Santa Fe. 

Hope to see you there. Come on down we’ll get together and share a meal of the world’s best chile!  I guess it IS kind of an addiction of mine.  I guess there are worse addictions!

Let’s keep in touch,

Marshall

June 25, 2019

As much as I love to paint large, I must admit some of my best work over the years has been small.  The pastels I do in preparation for my larger oil paintings are often among my best work! Decisions regarding color, composition, line, volume, shape and contrast get worked out in pastel.  Often that’s where the heavy lifting occurs.  Once I’m working  painting in oil on canvas I usually have a pretty good road map to follow. 

Here’s an example of a sweet little 11×11 inch piece I recently finished.  I believe there’s an oil painting lurking in there!  I’m thinking 6×6 feet!  Or bigger. 

Let’s keep in touch,

Marshall

June 18, 2019

From time to time, usually at a show opening or gallery event, I’m asked which is my favorite painting.  It always feels kind of like being asked which is your favorite child.  I love them all so much! 

But I have noticed that when I can come up with an answer, it’s frequently the newest painting.   Yesterday I shipped the final crate of paintings to Santa Fe for my upcoming exhibit at Ventana Fine Art.  As I was loading the work I packed a painting and thought, “This one is a great painting, this one is my favorite.”

You might have guessed it already, yes, it is the last painting I finished for the show.  How predictable of me!

Let’s keep in touch,

Marshall

June 11, 2019

It’s less than one month until the opening of my exhibition at Ventana Fine Art in Santa Fe.  Major shows such as this one are the culmination of months of work in my studio.  If you can call it work!  Play might describe the process more accurately! 

I wish you could all join me for the opening on July 5th.  But short of that we can give you a sneak preview.  Over the next four weeks I’ll send you pictures of some of the paintings so you can get a peek at the show even if you can’t join us in Santa Fe.

I’d love to hear what you think of my very latest paintings!

Let’s keep in touch,

Marshall Noice

May 21, 2019

From time to time I’m asked where I find my inspiration. Frankly, I find it almost effortlessly!  Like everyone I guess, I find it easy to put things off until the time is just right.  But it’s amazing how infrequently the stars align and I find myself with brush (or pastel) in hand in front of some beautiful scene at some remote location I’ve been dreaming of visiting for years.

Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s worth planning the trips and making the effort to see the places you dream about.  But I think it’s even more important to keep your eyes open, to stay awake and engaged with the world that’s around you at this very moment!  Maybe it’s all you’ve got at this very moment. And maybe it’s enough.

Sometimes inspiration just sneaks up on you. Like this morning when I stepped out to this view of aspen trees we planted a few feet from our front door.

”You’re my soul and my heart’s inspiration. You’re all I’ve got to get me by.”

~ Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil

Let’s keep in touch, Marshall

We all have our heroes and Forrest Moses has long been one of mine. I’ve been ceaselessly inspired by what he calls “an expressionistic response to a figurative subject.”

It was a joy to spend the morning studying the 50 Year Survey Exhibition of his paintings and monotypes at LewAllen Galleries in Santa Fe.

It’s an outstanding show. I hope some of Forrest’s paint handling rubs off on me! We’ll see!

Let’s keep in touch,

Marshall

When thinking about how easy it is for me to find inspiration to paint, I would be remiss in not saying that I’m very grateful to live in a stunningly beautiful (inspiring) corner of the world.  As you can see from the view from our deck we are smack dab in the middle of a mature ponderosa pine and douglas fir ecosystem.  In our years there we’ve added to the arboreal diversity by planting literally hundreds of aspen trees.  Aspens, imagine that!  A boy’s got to have something to paint, right?

“Smack dab in the middle
So I can rock and roll to satisfy my soul.”

~ Ray Charles

Let’s keep in touch,
Marshall

April 30, 2019

One question that all artists struggle with from time to time is how to keep those juices flowing. My answer is to go to the most direct and simple art making approach in my arsenal. For me that’s pastel on paper. 

Okay guys, here’s one for the techies – Sennelier and Unison soft pastel on Somerset Velvet Black printmaking paper. I’ve tried dozens of papers and pastels and this combination works every time for me. Will it work for you? Well, only you can answer that question.

If I don’t have a painting in mind on a given morning, I’ll grab a few pastels and a bunch of paper and knock out sketches until the light bulb switches on! It may be the subject matter, the line of the horizon, or an intriguing color relationship, but at some point in my sketching practice the light bulb WILL switch on. It always has. So far.

Go have fun!

Let’s keep in touch,

Marshall Noice