Gillian Marston
Nature and the sea inspire her art
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Gilly is a painter and fine art photographer whose major focus is nature and landscape. She had been a lifelong amateur photographer during careers in finance and information technology until early retirement in 2010. Then she focused artistic interests in acrylic paintings of landscapes and wildlife using her photography for reference images. In the last few years Gilly has refocused on her photography, bringing artistic creativity to that discipline also.
Gilly lives in Beckwith Township in Lanark County, Ontario with her spouse Suzanne and two cats.
A love for exploring has taken her and Suzanne to all points in North America hiking, birdwatching and seeking remote and rugged places. Six weeks in Newfoundland in 2022 provided a great opportunity for photography. A recent trip, further afield on a birding safari to Tanzania, was another perfect blend of nature and photography.
Gilly is a member of the Professional Photographers of Canada and is Accredited in the Fine Art, Ornithology and Animals categories. She has completed The School of Photography’s on-line courses – ‘Lightroom’ and ‘Fine Art Landscape’.
Gilly has been showing fine art photography in the few several years, with a highly positive reception, with the West Carleton Arts Society, Manotick Art Association and Arts Carleton Place. She has exhibited her paintings at these and other venues for the last 10 years.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Gilly marston
After 10+ years learning to paint, studying, and developing my style and only using my photography for reference images, I saw a photography course, from The School of Photography, focused on fine art photography. I credit Trudy Kepke, a UK based artist/photographer for showing me the possibilities of combining art and photography, through digital post processing, that launched my professional photography career.
These digital processes bring to my photography the same artistic license I have as a painter. I am not trying to capture the perfect shot but create a beautiful, evocative image.
In almost all images, texture and light layers are incorporated to create fine art photography. Every layer is from my own photography; either a background image or a ‘texture’ photo. The additional layers are to introduce light and textures to modify the original photography to my vision of this moment.
My recent art projects have mostly been divided into three photography series. The first series I describe as a ‘Covid project’ where I photographed nature’s simple arrangements, found on trails through the woods. These images often involve pools of water with leaves and reflections. They have an ‘abstract art’ feel to them.
The ‘Newfoundland’ series came from six weeks in Newfoundland in the summer of 2022. Its focus is largely the everyday views of boats, fishing huts and the sea.
My current series is from photos taken on a 2023 birding safari in Tanzania.
To learn more about Gilly’s painting and photography: