From the 1960s onwards, Marsha travelled the length of North America – from Richmond to New Orleans, St. Petersburg to Sarasota and Miami, Boston and New York. Her vibrant canvases reflect the colour and energy as well as the musical lives of those communities where she chose to settle.
With a wealth of paintings, sketches and archival images, this volume, designed in collaboration with the artist, provides an insightful look at Marsha’s work processes as well as her unique journey through life.
Thriving on a Riff A life of art and music
Thriving on a Riff | A life of art and music
Having finally made a home away from the city, in the Appalachian Mountains, Marsha is working on an ambitious new body of work that pays homage to her life-long passion. Titled Americana, this collection will create a visual narrative of American music – something that she sees as a powerful unifying force in an increasingly divided society.
MARSHA HAMMEL
For the past five decades, Marsha Hammel’s paintings have entranced an audience worldwide with their distinctive dancing lines and perfectly balanced compositions saturated with colour. She is best known for her atmospheric depictions of live performance in the smoky dark interiors of late-night jazz clubs. A fleeting sketch, later worked into an oil, captures with deep empathy the connections between performers and their instruments as well as between each other and the audience.
MARSHA HAMMEL
www.rosenstiels.com sales@rosenstiels.com +44 (0)20 7352 3551 Rosenstiels, 33-35 Markham Street, Chelsea, London. SW3 3NR England
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MARSHA HAMMEL Thriving on a Riff A life of art and music
Compiled by Ben Wood
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Contents Foreword
David Roe
Prelude
Melinda Hughes
viii
Chapter 1
Childhood
16
vi
Early Travels (1949-1968)
Chapter 2
DownBeat
26
Richmond and the Road (1968-1977)
Chapter 3
Finding Form
52
New Orleans (1977-1980)
Chapter 4
Melody and Motif
66
Florida’s Gulf Coast Studios (1980-1990)
Chapter 5
In the Groove
86
Sarasota and Miami (1990-1997)
Chapter 6
Harmony
108
Hendersonville (2000 onwards)
Chapter 7
Americana
140
Acknowledgements
158
Postscript
162
Stand Up Bass (ink with oil on canvas 14" x 10" 2000)
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This book is dedicated to all the thousands of working
musicians who devote their lives to creating and performing music simply for the joy of sharing their talents, and thereby enlightening the lives of others.
iv
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D’Jango (oil on can as 36″ x 36″ 2006)
v
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M with Rock n Roll O ercoat (1989)
vi
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Foreword I first discovered the work of Marsha Hammel when I walked into a gallery in Sarasota, Florida, and was immediately intrigued by these wonderful images that shouted at me so loudly I had to try and meet the talent that lay behind them. This was the start of a relationship which, as Marsha herself says, has lasted longer than any of her marriages! Marsha and I are very much on the same wavelength, and whilst I admire, respect and love her creative talents, I am also fortunate that she is responsive to the ideas, challenges and opportunities that I put before her. She is certainly not a prima donna and she has always put her heart and soul, together with an immense amount of energy, into the production of all her work. I believe that Marsha has found, to some extent, peace in her home and studio in the hills of Western North Carolina, although she has certainly not lost any of her vitality and enthusiasm. I was pleasantly surprised when we last met in November of 2019, just after she celebrated her 70th birthday. We sat down together and she discussed her idea for a completely new body of work. This, she estimated, would take 10 years to complete and would take us both into our early 80s. So, we will set off together down a new and exciting path that will celebrate the
history of music in America with wonderful art and hopefully a series of exhibitions throughout the world, which will rightly bring her work to a wide audience during her lifetime. For myself, as a fine art publisher, it is a huge privilege to know the artist, speak with her frequently, exchange emails several times a week, and have the excitement of seeing new work arriving in London absolutely bursting with colour. Additionally, I have the privilege of being able to hang her work in my home in London and in both of our offices. Life would be dull without the creative input of artists such as Marsha Hammel. They serve as an antidote to the daily challenges of life, and bring a sense of stability, beauty and excitement to those privileged enough to see her originals, as well as to the millions around the world who see the reproductions of her work. This book will contribute to the understanding of Marsha’s journey through life, her importance as an artist, and her ability to transmit genuine emotion through her work to her public.
David Roe Executive Chairman, Rosenstiels
vii
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Music is music and, whatever its genre or scale, it is bound to touch someone. Therefore, it is our duty as performers to be a vehicle for the music we love. We want to communicate our passion. That initial rush you get when you first step out on stage is one of adrenalin and excitement. Yes, those nerves are always there, but they soon subside and if you know your music inside out, you simply let it take over. You place all your trust in it and the music carries you through. I have often witnessed musicians in a form of hypnotic trance as they play, and as they do so, they form an unspoken and indescribable existential bond with their fellow performers. They catch you if you fall; for they, like you, want the same thing – an amazing performance. Nothing compares to the feeling of being in and part of the music – the intensity, thrill and euphoria it gives us, from the free-form spontaneity and playfulness of jazz to the intoxicating power of a symphonic orchestra. No matter how serious or frivolous the music is, we all share one thing in common, which is the need to make music. Marsha’s work shows a true understanding, not only of this compulsion and joy in music-making but also of its sheer importance. As she puts it: “The power of music is its ability to speak when other forms of communication are rendered impotent or even silent.” We often turn to music for its ability to soothe the quotidian stresses of life’s uncertainties and pain, or as anthems to our joys and happiness. It plays a crucial role in our development as children and has bonded people together for thousands of years. Both listening to and performing music are transformative experiences unlike any other. It is a drug. And a painter’s need to paint is equal to our need to make music, even if it brings us little money or fame. As Bob Marley said: “One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.”
Trumpet Study (charcoal on can as 20″ x 15″ 2015)
xi
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Fe er (oil on can as 60″ x 48″ 2017)
x
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The Art Case
Some things regardless of their deteriorated state or uselessness are impossible to discard. My old traveling companion, the art case, is such an artefact. During the years of my restless sojourns it carried sketchbooks, pencils, Conté crayons, a bottle of ink, pens and nibs, brushes and a tray of watercolors. With it I could set up a studio anywhere. Today my old friend enjoys a respectable retirement in a corner of my studio. MH 44
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Outside Richmond Studio 1979
45
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66
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Chapter 4
Melody and Motif
For the first half of the decade that I lived on the barrier islands of Florida’s west coast
I made paintings
with brilliant orange-pinks and violet-lavenders, cadmium yellows and turquoise blues, becoming besotted with color.
67
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From the 1960s onwards, Marsha travelled the length of North America – from Richmond to New Orleans, St. Petersburg to Sarasota and Miami, Boston and New York. Her vibrant canvases reflect the colour and energy as well as the musical lives of those communities where she chose to settle.
With a wealth of paintings, sketches and archival images, this volume, designed in collaboration with the artist, provides an insightful look at Marsha’s work processes as well as her unique journey through life.
Thriving on a Riff A life of art and music
Thriving on a Riff | A life of art and music
Having finally made a home away from the city, in the Appalachian Mountains, Marsha is working on an ambitious new body of work that pays homage to her life-long passion. Titled Americana, this collection will create a visual narrative of American music – something that she sees as a powerful unifying force in an increasingly divided society.
MARSHA HAMMEL
For the past five decades, Marsha Hammel’s paintings have entranced an audience worldwide with their distinctive dancing lines and perfectly balanced compositions saturated with colour. She is best known for her atmospheric depictions of live performance in the smoky dark interiors of late-night jazz clubs. A fleeting sketch, later worked into an oil, captures with deep empathy the connections between performers and their instruments as well as between each other and the audience.
MARSHA HAMMEL
www.rosenstiels.com sales@rosenstiels.com +44 (0)20 7352 3551 Rosenstiels, 33-35 Markham Street, Chelsea, London. SW3 3NR England
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