The Artists Gallery (TAG)
Los Angeles, CA
TAG Gallery is a contemporary fine art gallery on Museum Row in the Miracle Mile Wilshire Blvd district of Los Angeles, California
MessageErnie Marjoram: Summer Games
Artist’s Biography
Growing up in Southern California, Ernie Marjoram (b. 1954, Rochester, NY) showed an early interest in photography, perspective drawing and building models from kits. These interests led to a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Cal Poly Pomona. His education included a year of study in Florence, Italy where he would sketch Italy’s architectural landmarks and Old Master drawings and paintings in world-class museums.
Ernie returned to Los Angeles, became licensed to practice architecture in California and worked in LA architectural firms for 15 years. During this time, he went on self-directed sketching tours of Europe, Japan, and Egypt. As hand drawing and practical modeling in architecture were predominantly replaced by CADD (computer aided design and drafting) Ernie moved into entertainment illustration and began hand sketching sets for TV, film and themed environments for clients including Walt Disney Imagineering.
Encouraged by the many traditional fine artists working at WDI, Ernie held his first solo art exhibit “Europe, Asia and the US” in 2005 and followed up with a second one-man exhibit “Bell’ Italia” at the Ebell Club of Los Angeles in 2007. His oil painting Ponte Vecchio was included in the exclusive 2008 California Art Club Gold Medal Exhibition and his painting Shelter from the Storm won first place in the Ironstone Vineyards Spring Obsession Competition. In 2009, Ernie joined the artist’s collaborative TAG and has held regular exhibitions at the gallery, now located in the Miracle Mile district of Los Angeles.
Artist’s Statement
My artistic values were shaped by my early exposure to the original art of the renaissance while living abroad in Florence, Italy. I appreciate all types of painting, including abstract expressionism, but I want to paint believable, realistic images that capture the look of a specific time or place. My early work was dominated by landscapes, cityscapes and buildings due to my interest in perspective and my training in architecture. Mostly done on location, these images were often painted in watercolor or acrylics on a small scale which is more manageable while traveling.
After starting a family, foreign travel was limited, so it became time to explore subjects closer to LA. Painting the arid landscapes of New Mexico from my own photos was a great contrast to painting the lush fields of Tuscany on site. Another series of paintings focusing on trees was a refreshing break from architectural subjects. Working in the studio on still life close ups of candies allowed the exploration of semi-abstract patterns in a realistic context. Becoming comfortable with oil paints in the studio led to a group of large paintings of Koi and expanded my control of color.
The paintings in this current exhibition: Summer Games, presented the ultimate challenge of painting people realistically. In each composition proportions, perspective foreshortening, lighting, and color have all been used to create the illusion of three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional surface.
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TAG, The Artists Gallery 5458 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036
323.297.3061 | [email protected] | Open Wednesday to Sunday