Welcome to My Art Gallery

I'm Steve Marshall, artist, teacher and evangelist. I am a recently retired United Methodist pastor who entered the ministry after a twenty year career in the graphic arts field. For the past eighteen years I have enjoyed combining my two passions of preaching and painting by presenting "sermons in art." In addition to my pastels, I also paint in oils. Several trips overseas inspired me to paint a number of European scenes as well as more familiar landscapes here in this country. You can see some of my favorite oil and pastel paintings in the following galleries. I hope you enjoy them!

A new career has recently opened for me as I am now teaching high school art classes (part-time). (So much for retirement!) I love working with students who are new to art and just beginning to discover how they can express themselves through various art media. It's exciting and rewarding.

What is an Art Sermon?

As a pastor (now part-time) I continue to have an interest in religious art. You can view a few of my oils and pastels in the gallery titled Art Evangelism. I continue to present my pastel "art sermons" in churches and to various groups in the Phoenix area. These art sermons combine words, art and music to bring an inspirational spiritual message. My preaching schedule can be found in the Art Evangelism section. If you would like to invite me to speak at your church or for your group, contact information can also be found in the Art Evangelism section. You are always welcome to visit any of the churches where I will be preaching.

A Little About Painting in Pastels

Everybody knows about oil paintings but pastel painting is a little less appreciated. Pastels are basically the same as oil paints but instead of the pigment being held in a liquid oil, pastels are dry. Because the pigment is undiluted, pastel paintings offer a brillancy that is unrivaled. Although there are many kinds of papers that can be used for pastel painting, I really prefer what is known as Wallis paper, which is a heavy, museum quality paper with a sandpaper-like surface. This rough surface grabs the pastel pigment, allowing the artist to apply the pigment thickly and in layers, thereby achieving great depth of color and luminosity. When pastels are applied primarily as lines, it is called a pastel drawing. When the pastel is applied primarily as blocks of color, it is referred to as a pastel painting. Pastels are usually matted and framed under glass.

The pastel accompanying this page is titled "Sierra on the 4th of July" (11"x17" pastel on Wallis paper) I tried to capture the excitement my then three year old granddaughter was experiencing at a Fourth of July picnic. Larger view

I hope you enjoy viewing my artwork. Although some of my paintings are "for sale" I really just do it for fun, to relax, and to have some things to give my family and friends for Christmas presents! I'd love to hear your comments -- both praise and helpful criticism. Thanks!

This entire site is protected by copyright ©2011 Steve Marshall. All rights reserved. All content on this website is the property of Steve Marshall, and is protected under United States and International copyright laws. The images on this site may not be reproduced, stored, or manipulated, without the written permission of the artist.

Website last updated October 11, 2011.