Crystal Marshall: A Spiritual Journey
With roots in the Caribbean and United States, artist Crystal Marshall paints contemporary portraits which reflect her culture, heritage and lived experiences. Often combining realism with dream-like imagery, Crystal’s paintings explore elements of her spiritual journey while simultaneously speaking out against discrimination and social injustice. In this interview, Crystal shares her journey and creative process with us.
Tell me about your background and where your creative journey began.
I was born in Long Island, New York, and when I was six, my family migrated to Kingston, Jamaica. My introduction to my roots, heritage, and learning a lot more about my culture began here. My creative journey started early on when my parents realized I had an interest in using markers or crayons in coloring books, which was one of the main activities in my downtime. In high school, my talent emerged more clearly as I felt the creative energy to draw more seriously, which ultimately led me to study at the Edna Manley College School of Art, one of the top art institutions in the Caribbean. I was taught by renowned artists such as Cecil Cooper, Omari Ra, Petrona Morrison, Prudence Lovell, and Samere Tansley, to name a few. This is where I started to truly believe in my ability and wanted to discover how far I could take my artistic skills. My journey at Edna Manley was one of the best experiences I had in pursuing my art career. After my time there, I participated in a student exchange trip to Pont Aven, France, where I attended the Pont Aven School of Contemporary Art. This was a deeply rewarding program where I redefined my artistic style and sold my first paintings ever in a student exhibition. I then went on to study my BFA at the Maryland Institute College of Art, where I concentrated in general fine arts. There, I experienced more exposure to different art disciplines, and from there, I strengthened my skills in painting, printmaking, and digital photography, which has become a secondary practice.
Where do you find inspiration for your work?
My inspiration comes from my inner dialogue, day-to-day experiences, and independent research. I spend time seeking out visually stimulating imagery, taking photographs, and doing in-depth word searches to feed concepts I already have in mind. I can spend hours researching topics and watching alternative views on the internet to feed my inspiration. I also draw creativity from iconic biblical stories that happen to mirror aspects of my life, and I love the works of Jenny Saville, Lucian Freud, Francis Bacon, and Gustav Klimt, to name but a few. I will often look closely at works that have familiarity with my own ideas.
What led you to focus on portraiture?
For me, self-portraiture is a way to deal with both external and internal issues, addressing unresolved issues and answering fundamental questions. Portraiture, for me, defines introspection and showcases a specific space or state of mind. For my series entitled “Wool,” my portraits depict resilience, ponderance, observance, and looking towards hope. My portraiture is also inspired by changes I’ve undergone over the years. With respect to my immediate environment, I find it necessary to communicate my views.
How has your work shifted and evolved over time?
In art school, I primarily took a non-representational approach, using biomorphic or abstract figures to explore various concepts, themes, and colors of my choosing. That all changed with a trip to Pont Aven, France, in 2006, where I had to produce work at the Pont Aven School of Contemporary Art. My professor at the time, Brian McFarlane from the University of Massachusetts, asked me to explore realism. I took his advice and never looked back. Around 2015, I began referencing imagery that reflected my inner world of escape, a place of refuge, so to speak. Other aspects of my imagery also began reflecting my experiences of being a black immigrant from the Caribbean and my attempts to reconcile my differences amid conflicting cultural disparities. My work began evolving towards themes of hostility, victimization, exclusion, and oppression inspired by these experiences.
What does a typical day in the studio look like for you, and how has your art practice grown or changed?
On a typical day, I would be motivated towards a particular piece that embodies how I feel at that moment. How my day goes, along with ruminating thoughts, play into this as well. I’ll daydream about aspects of my painting before I get a chance to work on it in my studio. I need to feel connected to the work for the magic to happen. I’ll choose my favorite part of the piece to work on first and gradually work my way back into the painting. It’s all about entering a creative space. I sometimes experience a disassociation from the work, especially older works, and have to spend time easing my way back in. I purposefully leave my works in process on display, so I can always look at them to reconnect and start re-working whenever I please.
Over the years, I have tried to stick to one painting at a time, but this no longer works for me. Nowadays, I leave half or almost finished works for my future self to finish, so I’ll never rush or have any regrets as to what I’ve should have done to my paintings. I do look back on some paintings that I wish I had spent more time with or took a break from before completing. I’ve realized for me, time is on my side and is my greatest teacher while I go through the process of painting.
I’ve also had to overcome a need to judge my work, especially in the beginning. I’ve realized my level of rationality or logic overrides my ability to tap into the natural artistic process evolving in front of me. I’ve gained more faith and trust over the years, and it has worked well for me.
Which experiences have impacted your work as an artist?
My life is the driving force behind my work, in addition to the independent research I do in my spare time. I like to question the validity of cultural norms and embed this in my work. My heritage as a Jamaican, having migrated back to the States, has impacted and influenced my work. I’ve explored narratives and symbolic motifs to tell the viewer about my story. At this point, in my early career, my work stands for a social cause & activism against discrimination. In addition, my experiences have led me to revisit my own spirituality and incorporate relevant themes central to my experiences.
How has Instagram impacted your art career?
Overall, I love that I have connected with other artists and been part of a larger art community. Instagram has become an open diary of sorts, where I share my artistic journey with others. As a result, I’ve been contacted through my Instagram profile for various opportunities. Most importantly, I enjoy the feedback and mentoring I get from other artists, which is very encouraging.
What are your future goals and aspirations?
My future goals are to continue expressing myself as an artist and making connections with other artists and art professionals, art institutions, and art collectors. I hope to broaden my reach as an artist, not just domestically but internationally too. I hope to travel to different countries and connect with different types of people, showcase my art, and make an impact in various communities.
Instagram: @crysart1983
Website: www.crystalamarshall.com