Aaron Nelson (left) and James Marshall address gathered attendees during the reception for the Lifetime of Creativity exhibition.--News Photo Anna Smith
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
On Wednesday night, the Yuill Family Gallery at Medalta was overflowing with visitors celebrating a lifetime of art from Medicine Hat’s own James Marshall.
Visitors were invited to look at over 100 pieces of Marshall’s artwork, created over the course of his life, with some dating as far back as the 1960s.
The evening also marked Marshall’s 85th birthday, which he was glad to be able to punctuate with an exhibition, something he admitted he hasn’t done often over the course of his career.
“It takes 10,000 hours to get really good at something. So that’s an established fact. So, if you do something for 100,000 hours you’re really, really good at that. So that’s 100,000 hours of sculpting, drawing graphic design, advocating for heritage and throwing clay. It’s just an extraordinary amount of time” said Aaron Nelson, MC of the reception event.
Marshall spoke warmly of his years as an artist, noting that his mother once claimed he was drawing before he had even learned how to walk.
“She probably exaggerated a tad there,” said Marshall.
He traced his evolution, from pen and ink drawings inspired by his father’s time in the printing business, to learning pottery and then finally his brick murals that remain at the forefront of many people’s minds when thinking of his art.
Also at the forefront of visitors’ minds Wednesday was Marshall’s work with the heritage of the city, especially his restoration of Medalta in the Historic Clay District alongside Jack Forbes, and his status as a founding member of the Alberta Potter’s Association, Alberta Craft Council and recipient of the Alberta Historical Resource Foundation Heritage Service Award. Marshall remains well-decorated for his contributions to culture, both locally and provincially, said Nelson.
The reception also served as an art sale, selling prints of various paintings and drawings to those interested in continuing to support Marshall’s work.
“I’m glad it attracted this many people. I can hardly believe it,” said Marshall. “It’s been a good life.”
“We see this community differently because of Jim Marshall. And that is a huge accomplishment for any human being. He’s an eloquent documentarian of life in Alberta,” said Nelson. “Jim is a huge champion of heritage preservation, and the preservation of who we were, so we may determine who we may become.”
The exhibition will run until April 27.
