Bert Marsh
biography |
portfolio | artists listing
b. 1932, Brighton, East Sussex, England
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
The British Council, London, England
Guild of Master Craftsmen, Lewes, England
Horsham Museum, West Sussex, England
Hove Museum, East Sussex, England
Leeds City Art Gallery and Museum, Leeds, England
Nature in Art, Twigworth, England
South East Arts, Hove Museum, East Sussex, England
Worshipful Company of Turners, London, England
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
1996-10 Turned Wood-Small Treasures, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2009 Bert Marsh, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
1999-09 Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Exposition, Chicago, IL
1999-09 Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Exposition, New York, NY
2008 Bert Marsh: Perfect Form, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Select, The Grace Barrand Design Centre, Nutfield, Surrey, England
Wizardry in Wood, Carpenters’ Hall, London, England
Focus Artist, Contemporary Applied Arts, London, England
Featured, Sarah Myerscough Fine Art, London, England
2007 Knock On Wood, The Craft Centre & Design Gallery, Leeds
Touch Wood, Ferrers Gallery, Ashby de la Zouche, Leicestshire
Christmas Exhibition, Grace Barnard Design Centre, Nutfield, UK
Featured, Origin Somerset House, London, England
Open House Exhibtion, Preston Manor, Brighton, UK
2006 International Invitational: Woodturned Sculptures Too, The Lubeznik Center for the Arts,
Michigan City, IN
Wood Turning, Sarah Myerscough Fine Art Gallery, London, England
Origin Somerset House, London, England
Lubeznik Centre for the Arts, Michigan City, IN
2003-06 Bert Marsh, Solo Exhibition, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2005 Collectors of Wood Art Forum, Philadelphia, PA
British Woodturning, Rufford Craft Centre, Newark, Nottinghamshire, UK
Bert Marsh, Cervini Haas Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
Bert Marsh: Artist in the Spotlight, Grace Barrand Gallery, Nutfield, Surrey, England
Wood, New Ashgate Gallery, Farham, Surrey, England
2004 Wizardry in Wood, The Worshipful Co. of Turners Pewter's Hall, London
Brighton Festival, Ned Hoskin's Open House, Brighton, England
Mixing it in May, Alexander Gallery, Brighton, England
Against the Grain, Grace Barrand Design Center, Nutfield, Surrey, England
Wood Turning, Sarah Myerscough Fine Art, London
2003 Turned Wood by Bert Marsh, Horsham Museum, Sussex, England
2003 Contemporary Woodwork, New Ashgate Gallery, Wagon Yard, Farnham, England
Selected Works, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Collectors of Wood Art Forum, Santa Fe, NM
2002 Award, "Freedom Worshipful Company of Turners", England
Wood Exhibition, Burford Woodcraft, Burford, Oxon, England
New at New Ashgate, New Ashgate Gallery, Farnham, Surrey, England
Bert Marsh Woodturning, From the Wood Gallery, Hay-on-Wye, Wales
1998-02 Turned & SculpturedWood, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2001 Collectors of Wood Art Forum, Minneapolis, MN
Solo Exhibition, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Close Shave, Grace Barrand Design Centre, Nutfield, Surrey, England
Craftworks, Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, England
Woodworks, The City Gallery, Leicester, Midlands, England
2000 Contemporary British Crafts Wood Exhibition, Liberty, London, England
1999-00 Summer Exhibition, Hugo Barclay Gallery, Brighton, England
1999 Natural Elements, Crafts Council Gallery, London, England
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
2005 Woods for Woodturners. Baker, Mark. Guild of Master Craftsmen Publications,
London, England.
2004 500 Wood Bowls: Bold & Original Designs Blending Tradition & Innovation. Leier, Ray;
Peters, Jan & Wallace, Kevin. Lark Books, Sterling Publications,
New York, NY.
2003 Sacred Vessels. The National Jewish Center for Learning & Leadership, New York, NY.
Woodturning Projects. Baker, Mark. Guild of Master Craftsmen Publications,
London, England.
1999 Contemporary Turned Wood: New Perspectives in a Rich Tradition. Leier, Ray;
Peters, Jan & Wallace, Kevin. Hand Books Press, Madison, WI.
Two-in-One Woodturning. Irons, Phil. Sterling Publishing, New York, NY.
1998 Woodturning with Ray Key. Key, Ray. Batsford Publishing.
Wonders in Wood: The Art of the Woodturner. Association of Woodturners of
Great Britain.
1996 Expressions In Wood: Masterworks from The Wornick Collection. Cooke,
Edward; Kangas, Matthew & Perreault, John. Oakland Museum of California,
Oakland, CA.
Bert Marsh: Woodturner. Marsh, Bert. Sterling Publications, New York, NY.
ARTIST'S STATEMENT
As a boy of 14, just beginning my apprenticeship in cabinet making, I got my first look at a woodturning lathe and was immediately impressed by this awesome machine. I was fascinated by the way in which square sections of wood were transformed into beautifully shaped round pieces, by the way the shavings flew and the noise it made. Later I had the opportunity to begin turning myself; little did realize then how developing that particular skill was to affect my later life. At the time my future lay in furniture making, or so I thought, but as the years passed, fate caused my career to take other directions. For awhile I found satisfaction in teaching, but a heart attack changed that and that eventually led me to pursue a new vocation: woodturning.
From an early age, I have felt a profound need to work with wood; I love the material passionately. There is no complex philosophy attached to my work I do; I am simply striving to achieve the perfect form, the purest possible curves expressed in simple, uncluttered shapes that will expose the beauty of the wood to the full. In seeking that goal I find my inspiration in many everyday objects, but most of all I am inspired by the wood itself.
Understanding wood is an important part of being able to work it successfully, and the more I have found out about it, the more I have come to appreciate and admire it.
As with any occupation, woodturning involves acquiring a range of basic skills, but those skills are merely a starting point. They must be perfected and used as a basis for experimentation if your work is truly to express your own personality.
Achieving success as a woodturner has not been easy, but there is no secret to my success. It has come about through hard work and a passion for the material, a desire for perfection, years of experience and a natural ability to manipulate both tools and machines, which I was lucky to be born with.
I am very proud that over the years I have been aware of many appreciative comments about my woodturning by many notable people. Supreme ceramist, the late Lucie Rie owned three of my pieces. The late and great David Pye, at a private viewing of an exhibition, said to an enthusiastic visitor, "If you want to meet a proper woodturner, meet Bert Marsh", and promptly introduced me.
Over the years I have been referred to as "The Grand Master of Woodturning". Others have jokingly added "The Grand Old Master", and as the years have progressed I feel I cannot object to the word "Old". Recently I have been referred to as an Elder Statesman, Makes me wonder what is next?
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
The British Council, London, England
Guild of Master Craftsmen, Lewes, England
Horsham Museum, West Sussex, England
Hove Museum, East Sussex, England
Leeds City Art Gallery and Museum, Leeds, England
Nature in Art, Twigworth, England
South East Arts, Hove Museum, East Sussex, England
Worshipful Company of Turners, London, England
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
1996-10 Turned Wood-Small Treasures, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2009 Bert Marsh, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
1999-09 Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Exposition, Chicago, IL
1999-09 Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Exposition, New York, NY
2008 Bert Marsh: Perfect Form, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Select, The Grace Barrand Design Centre, Nutfield, Surrey, England
Wizardry in Wood, Carpenters’ Hall, London, England
Focus Artist, Contemporary Applied Arts, London, England
Featured, Sarah Myerscough Fine Art, London, England
2007 Knock On Wood, The Craft Centre & Design Gallery, Leeds
Touch Wood, Ferrers Gallery, Ashby de la Zouche, Leicestshire
Christmas Exhibition, Grace Barnard Design Centre, Nutfield, UK
Featured, Origin Somerset House, London, England
Open House Exhibtion, Preston Manor, Brighton, UK
2006 International Invitational: Woodturned Sculptures Too, The Lubeznik Center for the Arts,
Michigan City, IN
Wood Turning, Sarah Myerscough Fine Art Gallery, London, England
Origin Somerset House, London, England
Lubeznik Centre for the Arts, Michigan City, IN
2003-06 Bert Marsh, Solo Exhibition, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2005 Collectors of Wood Art Forum, Philadelphia, PA
British Woodturning, Rufford Craft Centre, Newark, Nottinghamshire, UK
Bert Marsh, Cervini Haas Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
Bert Marsh: Artist in the Spotlight, Grace Barrand Gallery, Nutfield, Surrey, England
Wood, New Ashgate Gallery, Farham, Surrey, England
2004 Wizardry in Wood, The Worshipful Co. of Turners Pewter's Hall, London
Brighton Festival, Ned Hoskin's Open House, Brighton, England
Mixing it in May, Alexander Gallery, Brighton, England
Against the Grain, Grace Barrand Design Center, Nutfield, Surrey, England
Wood Turning, Sarah Myerscough Fine Art, London
2003 Turned Wood by Bert Marsh, Horsham Museum, Sussex, England
2003 Contemporary Woodwork, New Ashgate Gallery, Wagon Yard, Farnham, England
Selected Works, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Collectors of Wood Art Forum, Santa Fe, NM
2002 Award, "Freedom Worshipful Company of Turners", England
Wood Exhibition, Burford Woodcraft, Burford, Oxon, England
New at New Ashgate, New Ashgate Gallery, Farnham, Surrey, England
Bert Marsh Woodturning, From the Wood Gallery, Hay-on-Wye, Wales
1998-02 Turned & SculpturedWood, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2001 Collectors of Wood Art Forum, Minneapolis, MN
Solo Exhibition, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Close Shave, Grace Barrand Design Centre, Nutfield, Surrey, England
Craftworks, Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, England
Woodworks, The City Gallery, Leicester, Midlands, England
2000 Contemporary British Crafts Wood Exhibition, Liberty, London, England
1999-00 Summer Exhibition, Hugo Barclay Gallery, Brighton, England
1999 Natural Elements, Crafts Council Gallery, London, England
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
2005 Woods for Woodturners. Baker, Mark. Guild of Master Craftsmen Publications,
London, England.
2004 500 Wood Bowls: Bold & Original Designs Blending Tradition & Innovation. Leier, Ray;
Peters, Jan & Wallace, Kevin. Lark Books, Sterling Publications,
New York, NY.
2003 Sacred Vessels. The National Jewish Center for Learning & Leadership, New York, NY.
Woodturning Projects. Baker, Mark. Guild of Master Craftsmen Publications,
London, England.
1999 Contemporary Turned Wood: New Perspectives in a Rich Tradition. Leier, Ray;
Peters, Jan & Wallace, Kevin. Hand Books Press, Madison, WI.
Two-in-One Woodturning. Irons, Phil. Sterling Publishing, New York, NY.
1998 Woodturning with Ray Key. Key, Ray. Batsford Publishing.
Wonders in Wood: The Art of the Woodturner. Association of Woodturners of
Great Britain.
1996 Expressions In Wood: Masterworks from The Wornick Collection. Cooke,
Edward; Kangas, Matthew & Perreault, John. Oakland Museum of California,
Oakland, CA.
Bert Marsh: Woodturner. Marsh, Bert. Sterling Publications, New York, NY.
ARTIST'S STATEMENT
As a boy of 14, just beginning my apprenticeship in cabinet making, I got my first look at a woodturning lathe and was immediately impressed by this awesome machine. I was fascinated by the way in which square sections of wood were transformed into beautifully shaped round pieces, by the way the shavings flew and the noise it made. Later I had the opportunity to begin turning myself; little did realize then how developing that particular skill was to affect my later life. At the time my future lay in furniture making, or so I thought, but as the years passed, fate caused my career to take other directions. For awhile I found satisfaction in teaching, but a heart attack changed that and that eventually led me to pursue a new vocation: woodturning.
From an early age, I have felt a profound need to work with wood; I love the material passionately. There is no complex philosophy attached to my work I do; I am simply striving to achieve the perfect form, the purest possible curves expressed in simple, uncluttered shapes that will expose the beauty of the wood to the full. In seeking that goal I find my inspiration in many everyday objects, but most of all I am inspired by the wood itself.
Understanding wood is an important part of being able to work it successfully, and the more I have found out about it, the more I have come to appreciate and admire it.
As with any occupation, woodturning involves acquiring a range of basic skills, but those skills are merely a starting point. They must be perfected and used as a basis for experimentation if your work is truly to express your own personality.
Achieving success as a woodturner has not been easy, but there is no secret to my success. It has come about through hard work and a passion for the material, a desire for perfection, years of experience and a natural ability to manipulate both tools and machines, which I was lucky to be born with.
I am very proud that over the years I have been aware of many appreciative comments about my woodturning by many notable people. Supreme ceramist, the late Lucie Rie owned three of my pieces. The late and great David Pye, at a private viewing of an exhibition, said to an enthusiastic visitor, "If you want to meet a proper woodturner, meet Bert Marsh", and promptly introduced me.
Over the years I have been referred to as "The Grand Master of Woodturning". Others have jokingly added "The Grand Old Master", and as the years have progressed I feel I cannot object to the word "Old". Recently I have been referred to as an Elder Statesman, Makes me wonder what is next?