The Gypsy Caravan 2023

Friday, October 15, 2021

Postcards from the Lake: Road Trip - Another Look at the Art of Heidi Marshall

When I shared our visit to Petoskey in July, you might recall that we stopped at Crooked Tree Arts Center's beautiful gallery. The featured exhibit was Michigan artist Heidi Marshall and I fell in love with every piece of hers that I saw. This forsythia was a favorite. Just look at how those colors pop!

I wish I'd taken more photos! For that matter, I wish I could have afforded one! She works in pastel, a medium for which I have absolutely no talent, much to my regret. If I did, I would aspire to be as good as she is. I love how she combines a realistic style with enough of an impressionistic feel to really tell a story in every piece. They have such energy.


Wouldn't you like to live here? I would!


I find painting snow is very tricky. I'm sure it's no easier for a pastel artist.


And yet she nails it in every piece.


I also have trouble really capturing the energy of water. And yet this one looks like so many of our Michigan water areas -- multiple colors of blue in the water, crashing waves and whitecaps, shockingly beautiful clouds that one feels might burst at any minute.


But we can also have very calm days, with blue skies and puffy clouds where the waters are calm. She gets that, too.

 Marshall grew up in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan and in Dusseldorf, Germany and comes from an artistic family, her father having been an artist for the Detroit News and a painter as well. At one time a writer and an advertising professional, she now works as a plein air pastel artist, focusing on nature and the landscapes of Northern Michigan. 

I leave you with another of my favorites. This campfire just seemed to jump off the page, as though if you touched it, you might burn your finger. The intensity was powerful. 


I hope to see her work again. And again, and again. 

Sharing with:      Pink Saturday   

55 comments:

  1. She has a lot of talent, her pictures are really beautiful. Have a great weekend, hugs, Valerie

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  2. Oh I love the forsythia in the painting too. That was a favorite plant of mine up north since it was one of the first pops of color each spring! Heidi's style is so dreamy and alive at the same time.

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  3. Oh, those are gorgeous works! Each one is unbelievably lovely. I can totally understand your adoration of her work! Have a great weekend!

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  4. What wonderful landscapes in these paintings!
    Thank you for sharing the art of this painter I didn't know yet, dear Jeanie.
    Sending blessings on your weekend to come
    XO Daniela at ~ My little old world ~ (Dany)

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  5. Yes, there's a blessed combination of realism and impressionism in Heidi Marshall's art.
    I wish we had some snow in winter, to even look at it, but we usually don't.
    Snow, and snow covered fields and roofs have a beauty of their own. I like the views and paintings revealing these views.

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  6. these are beautiful! Pastel is so much fun, but it is tricky! Love her style~
    Jenna

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  7. She does do lovely work!! TFS

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  8. These are just amazing. I did like pastels in school, but just draw now. Janice

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  9. How wonderful! Thank you for sharing this gorgeous exhibit.

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  10. Wow. Marshall's art is amazing. She does know how to show the motion of nature in her art. I absolutely love the house one. There's those little pops of yellow sunrise/sunset sky peeking through. The winter scenes are pretty too. I would never guess they are pastels. Thanks so much for sharing these Jeanie. Have a great weekend! Hugs-Erika

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  11. Those paintings are beautiful! I wish I had that talent.

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  12. These are fabulous. I have no more wall space, but I'd love to add one of these to my collection.

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  13. This painter is so talented, the forsythia pops off the page, she handles snow beautifully and the fire and smoke is incredible.

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  14. So animated by light -- these are beautiful! Thanks for making the introduction!

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  15. Beautiful paintings. A talented lady. The snow scene is my favorite.

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  16. I like them very much, too! Thanks so much for sharing them. I've never (yet) been to Michigan; these paintings are like your photos, in making a visit look appealing.

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  17. I agree, stunning . . . beautiful.
    Snow pieces are exceptional . . .
    and the final piece . . .
    camp fire . . . the smoke is real . . .
    Wonderful exhibit.

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  18. Oh! How pretty! She really has a unique style and love how she captures the light and translucency of air, water, snow and fire. The colors are wonderful. Hope you have a lovely weekend! x K

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  19. Beautiful works if art...thanks for sharing

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  20. Beautiful work. I've never tried pastels. My art club has just started a new term, I'm going to try moving out of my comfort zone and try other mediums!

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  21. Hello, Jeanie

    The art work is beautiful, I love the Forsythia painting. I always enjoy waterscapes too. The house is is beautiful, it is a pretty painting. Thanks for sharing this artist and her works of art. Have a great weekend!

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  22. Beautiful works of art. Thanks for sharing Jeanie. Happy weekend.

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  23. As someone who can barely paint a door properly, I have never tried creative art, much to the relief of many, I am sure! I do, however, appreciate it, and admire greatly those who do it well, or even give it a try for that matter. I would imagine that snow is very difficult to represent! Kudos to you, Jeanie,for featuring a fellow Michigan artist. We all need to promote local talent.

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  24. great artist. love the use of light in each and every art piece. thanks for sharing something beautiful this morning.

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  25. It's always good to be introduced to a new artist. Beautiful pieces.

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  26. Beautiful! My mom excelled in Oils..and pastels♥♥

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  27. All of her work is appealing, but I was especially taken with the snow scenes. There is color in a snowy landscape that photography doesn't always capture well. Did you ever follow Gerry Sell when she still was blogging? Her images of the Torch Lake area did the best I've seen of making snowy days seem 'warm' -- despite the temperatures!

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  28. How wonderful! Thank you for sharing this gorgeous exhibit.

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  29. Oh wow! She is a truly amazing artist. Her art should be in museums and high end art galleries. I love what you shared with us, Jeanie.

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  30. Her work is amazing and I am so glad that you shared her talents with us. Have a lovely weekend!

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  31. I can certainly see why you fell in love with Heidi's artwork! Beautiful :)

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  32. Beautiful and inspiration work! Thanks for showing it to us.

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  33. I can understand your fascination with these paintings - they are beautiful. My favorite one is above the campfire one. I love the different moods in her paintings - I never know how artists get that. Interesting that she partly grew up in Düsseldorf. I always want to know what brought people to a different country - maybe it's some kind of shared experience.

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  34. She is certainly a very talented artist (an understatement) and I enjoyed seeing all of these pieces, especially the snow scenes.

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  35. Wow, what talent! Loved all the paintings you showed, especially the first one.

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  36. Those are absolutely stunning works.
    And yes, the name made me guess she is German.
    No wonder she left Düsseldorf, I have bad memories from there, too.
    Great works, really. And yes, the snow... she captured it perfectly.

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  37. Two of those pieces really grabbed and held me, the path through the snow and the bonfire. Especially the snow piece. I really felt like i'd been there.

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  38. Her work is beautiful! I'm glad she allows photography of her art. Around here they bristle at that and put up signs forbidding it.

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  39. Jeanie, her work is amazingly beautiful. My favorites are of the snow and the old home. They really speak to me. Thank you for sharing her lovely work.

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  40. She's a great artist indeed Jeanie.

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  41. Oh my! Doesn't she have a lot of talent, her pictures are beautiful.

    All the best Jan

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  42. Jeanie,
    Absolutely stunning art work!! So pretty!! Thanks for sharing it all with us!! Thanks too for stopping by!! Stay safe, healthy and happy!!
    Hugs,
    Debbie

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  43. All the paintings look so beautiful. The last one, with the bonfire is my favourite, but I like the cottage too. Like you, I would love to live there. :)

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  44. My mother loved to work in pastels as well as watercolor, so I enjoyed seeing these.

    best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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  45. Such a talented artist and you are right, she nailed every one. I am delighted to see these, they are all so beautiful and yes, I would love to live in the house. I will enjoy these with probably several more scrolls........Have a wonderful week.

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  46. I wasn't sure what pastel art was so I googled it and found out that it is oil. These paintings are outstanding. Very nice work.

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  47. Oh, I really liked the white cottage painting. And the snow painting spoke to me also, as we get lots of snow up here. She is very talented. That one of the snowy road looks so real. Glad you got a chance to visit the art gallery, Jeanie.

    Have a good October week.

    ~Sheri

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  48. Gorgeous work.. I love the movement in her pieces.

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  49. Thanks so much for sharing her work. I love how this very talented artist captures light, as well as movement. In the painting of the ocean it's as if she's captured the very essence of waves, isn't it?! So inpsired. When I retire, I'm planning on taking up the paintbrushes again...xo Lidy

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  50. Wow she is talented! I love the snow with the tracks and the waves best but they are all gorgeous! Thank you for sharing!

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  51. such glorious artwork. so evocative and beautiful. you really feel you are in nature.

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  52. Wow these are absolutely beautiful. I particularly love the third one! Just gorgeous.

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