Rising Stars: Meet Arthur Marshall

Today we’d like to introduce you to Arthur Marshall. 

Hi Arthur, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have been artistic my whole life but I took a long hiatus after I dropped out of art school in 2011. Combined with the absurd cost and the grim reality of the coined phrase ‘starving artist’, I knew I didn’t want to be a professional artist but rather use art as an outlet. 

I didn’t start picking the paintbrush back up until 2019. I had met an artist at Hoxeyville Music Festival that did block carvings, and I had felt inspired ever since. 

I tried to jump back to my roots: painting. I tried to do my old detailed style, but it gave me anxiety, and I didn’t enjoy the experience. After a rotation of a few different mediums, painting came back to me, but this time I approached it as more of a ‘physical therapy’ exercise as opposed to trying to capture the details of reality. That led me to the style that I do now. It’s loose and abstract, there are no expectations from it, and I’m able to explore different subtleties. I refer to it as a ‘snapshot of my mind’ in a sense. 

I’ve found painting to be an incredibly useful tool in distracting myself from the anxieties of life, and it helps me live in the moment. I would encourage everyone to pick up a brush and play with colors. Sometimes you just do things to do things. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Being confident in myself and feeling comfortable sharing what I do. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I used to work as an environmental driller: installing water monitoring wells, etc. When COVID hit, I got laid off and took the summer off. I landed a job with a cannabis company as a grasstender in fall 2020 and quickly became the Creative Director of the company through hard work and passion. They’re my bread-and-butter income, and my art is more for social interaction than it is monetary. 

The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you, and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
We need to collectively slow down. Tomorrow may never come, so you better enjoy today. 

Pricing:

• Paintings range from $30-$200
• Jewelry ranges from $25-$120

Contact Info:

• Website: Heyitsarf.com
• Instagram: Heyitsarf

Image Credits
Jonathan Alfano
Sabrina Pacitto