Bert Marsh
Born
Bert Marsh

1932
Brighton, England
Died22 May 2011
OccupationWoodturner

Bert Marsh (1932 — 22 May 2011)[1] was a British woodturner, known for his beautiful forms and technical mastery.[2] He was raised in Hove, England.[3] "Bert was known throughout the woodturning world as a talented turner, inveterate story-teller, and mentor[4] for many of today’s top turners."[5][2] He has been called "the king of British woodturning."[6]

Life

Marsh started his apprenticeship in 1945 at a local furniture factory, where he was introduced to lathe work, drawn by his passion for wood. After completing his apprenticeship, he was drafted into the Royal Air Force (RAF), where he was a mechanic for Spitfire, Hornet, and Mosquito airplane engines in Selar, British Malaya (now Malaysia).[3]

After the end of World War II and demobilisation in 1953, he educated himself extensively in his craft.

In 1965 he started teaching full time at the Brighton College of Arts. After 15 years lecturing and teaching, he suffered a severe heart attack and chose to retire from teaching and dedicate himself to woodturning.[3]

“From an early age, I felt a profound need to work with wood. I love the material passionately. There is no complex philosophy attached to the work I do. I am simply striving to achieve the perfect form, the purest possible curves expressed in simple, uncluttered shapes that will expose the beauty of the wood to the full."[5][3]

Works

His work is in the Smithsonian Museum[7] and the Minneapolis Institute of Art.[8]

Marsh received an Honorary Life Membership in the Association of Woodturners of Great Britain (AWGB) in 2009 for services to woodturning.[5]

Bert Marsh was the author of two books:

  • Woodturning, A Foundation Course, Keith Rowley, Bert Marsh, Ray Key[9]
  • Bert Marsh, Woodturner, 160 pp, Sterling Pub Co[10]

His exhibitions include

  • National Woodturning Show, Birmingham, UK 1993[11] (An international show, despite its name.)
  • Woodturning, Nottingham, UK 1990[12]

His work has been on auction multiple times, receiving prices up to several thousand pounds.[13][14][15]"THE BERT MARSH PLAIN TURNING COMPETITION FOR COMPANY LIVERYMEN AND FREEMEN" woodturning competition is held annually in his honour.[16][17]

References

  1. ↑ "Bert Marsh - Biography". www.askart.com. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  2. 1 2 "Bert Marsh | Untitled Vessel". American Association of Woodturners. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Sloan, Gordon (June 2011). "Bert Marsh 1932 - 2011" (PDF). The Turner (36): 2–3 – via turnersco.com.
  4. ↑ "Early Bert Marsh Influence". www.awgb.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  5. 1 2 3 "Xylem Gallery | Bert Marsh, Artist". www.xylemgallery.com. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  6. ↑ Kaye, Tobias (December 2018). "A Few Words about Ray Key" (PDF). Revolutions (127): 7 – via AWGB.co.uk.
  7. ↑ "Museum of Craft and Folk Art records | Contents | search=s=0&n=12&t=D&q=Folk+art&i=2 | SOVA". sova.si.edu. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  8. ↑ "Vessel, Bert Marsh ^ Minneapolis Institute of Art". collections.artsmia.org. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  9. ↑ Rowley1 Marsh2 Key3, Keith1 Marsh2 Key3 (1991). Woodturning, A Foundation Course (1st ed.). East Sussex, United Kingdom: Guild of Master Craftsman Publications. pp. 1–151. ISBN 978-0946819201.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ Marsh, Bert (1995). Bert Marsh, Woodturner. New York, New York: Sterling Pub Co. p. 160. ISBN 9780946819515.
  11. ↑ "Birmingham Metronews 07 Oct 1993, page 33". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  12. ↑ "Evening Post 10 Aug 1990, page 49". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  13. ↑ "Bert Marsh | 15 Artworks at Auction | MutualArt". www.mutualart.com. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  14. ↑ "Bert Marsh - 12 Artworks for Sale on Artsy". www.artsy.net. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  15. ↑ "Bert Marsh, Red Resin Wood Box, 2010". Contemporary Applied Arts. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  16. ↑ The Worshipful Company of Turners (2016). "THE BERT MARSH PLAIN TURNING COMPETITION FOR COMPANY LIVERYMEN AND FREEMEN" (PDF). Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  17. ↑ "The Bert Marsh Competitions for Company Members and Turning Certificate Holders". The Worshipful Company of Turners. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
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