Art Exhibition: 21st of July

One of the owners of Studio 55, Rob, was a professional artist for about 10 years when he lived in Africa with his family. As can be seen in his fine art that's available for sale on his art website and via Etsy, his specialism is painting birds and wildlife. He is about to hold an exhibition of his current work, at Hanningfield Reservoir, an Essex Wildlife Trust location, from the 21st of July for 6 weeks. Here is a bit about him and his life as an artist.

"My name is Robert George Marshall and I was born in Zimbabwe, in Southern Africa. I have always been interested in art, excelling at school in lessons and exams. However, I did not attend art school, specifically, and even though both of my parents were accomplished artists, with my mother still painting to this day at 104 years old, I am completely self taught.

"My main genre is wildlife, with birds being my greatest interest. There are so many varieties throughout the world, and it never gets boring even watching the same birds as they are all magnificent. In my late teens and early twenties, I was drawn towards painting birds of prey as their glare is always fearsome and interesting. At that stage of my life, painting was just a hobby since I already had a career as a sound engineer in the film industry. I have also always been extremely interested in photography and, while walking around the countryside, I take photos as references for my art.

"Later, I moved to Johannesburg, South Africa, with my fiancé, and successfully continued as a sound engineer. We subsequently married and had two lovely sons, all the while I continued to paint occasionally. As our children grew, my wife and I decided it was time to leave Johannesburg and relocate to a more quiet, yet tourist-rich, part of the country. This meant giving up being a sound engineer, so I took the plunge and, with my loving wife’s encouragement, took up painting full-time.

"We settled in Gonubie on the east coast and spent some wonderful years there. I found that it was relatively easy to sell my paintings but hard work keeping up with demand. This was the beginning of my professional career as an artist. I truly enjoyed it and sold paintings all over South Africa, carrying out commissions when asked.

"After some years, my family and I moved to Zimbabwe to be closer to our respective families. I continued to paint, and prospered from selling my work.

"By the year 2000, the time came to leave Africa behind, so we decided to migrate to England where my wife’s family were born and my ancestors originated.

"In time, our two children married and left home, and so, with more time on my hands, I began building up a fresh portfolio of beautiful British birds, and now I am very proud to be exhibiting my work once again."

If you're interested in Rob's art, and potentially even meeting him in person, why not pop down to Hanningfield Reservoir from the 21st of July? Otherwise, his art is available on his website and via Etsy.