Marshall Harris

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Marshall Harris

Interview and video by Mouty Shackelford, Artsy Scoop
Legends are often full of knights on horseback, magic spells, and towering giants. During my conversation with a legendary talent in pencil and mylar, a gentle giant named Marshall Harris, I felt surrounded by magic. Marshall, an imposing, statuesque presence with hands the size of a baseball catcher’s mitt, has made a name for himself by creating enormous, intricate, photorealistic drawings of horse saddles, as well as barbed wire and wood, elegant firearms, and other Western themed subjects. Sitting in his Fort Worth, Texas studio, you quickly realize that his talents far exceed the works that have brought him so much attention and acclaim. Knick-knacks abound and beg you to ask, “What are you working on over here?” at every turn. But first, we have to talk about the drawings.
Photorealistic drawing of detailed saddle
Image: Courtesy of Artist
The level of detail and intricacy is astounding. It is the kind of drawing that leaves you scratching your head, wondering, “How is this not a photograph?” Mr. Harris says he gets that a lot, but if you are lucky enough to see him at work on one of his pieces, you will not only realize that these are definitely not photographs, but your appreciation for the level of craftsmanship and artistry only deepens. A typical piece will measure about 54” x 60”, and by Harris’ estimates, each one takes about 300:400 hours to complete. This allows him to generate roughly three pieces a year (four, if he’s really working hard), and with that kind of time investment, I wanted to know more about his early process.
MOUTY: When do you know that you’re on the right track when you start something new?

MARSHALL: Usually, I’ll be about two weeks into a piece when I know that I’ve just started another four-month project. I’ll get to some little detail or nuance in the drawing that I nail, something as simple as a scratch in the leather, something that nobody will ever [notice], that’s when I get engrossed in the piece.

The Story of Marshall doesn’t read like an Arthurian legend, but it is just as interesting. His first artistic venture as a child was in music, specifically the piano. So sure was his piano instructor that the keys were not for him, she once pulled his mother aside and asked, “Does Marshall have any other interests?” It turns out he did. He says his first love was sculpture, which stemmed from a childhood full of building things. From childhood through high school, Marshall liked all kinds of art, but he especially liked the kind of creating where you had something tangible to show for it at the end of the day.

Photorealistic drawing of tattooed hand holding long gun
Image: Courtesy of Artist
He is also a lifelong collector of trinkets, memorabilia, and bits of nostalgia, which he keeps in clear, plastic baggies. These items he refers to as his “Random Access Memories.” Each item is a visual cue to a memory, and each object so embodies that recollection, that just seeing it is enough to take him back. Once upon a time, all these physical manifestations of his experiences fit into a single shoe box. Now he says he has several dozen storage bins full of them. But all the while, in addition to the building, sculpting, painting, and collecting, there was always drawing.
Collage of photos for photorealistic drawing in progress
Photo: Mouty Shackelford
Trinkets Over Work in Progress
Photo: Mouty Shackelford
His early career included working in Advertising and Marketing, and even a brief stint in the National Football League (did I mention the size of his hands?), but Marshall says there was always a lingering passion for art, so he set off for grad school at the fresh young age of 55. His professors, who no doubt recognized his talent, actually questioned his decision to focus on drawing as the end product of his art.
MARSHALL: Most of my instructors said, “Why do you want to draw? That’s all preliminary to doing something else.”
Hearing this reminds me that in artistic expression, and perhaps in life itself, sometimes our best decisions come from the advice we don’t take. But of course, not all guidance from those who came before us is bad.
Art in Shadow Boxes with artifacts inside
Homage to John Walker
Photo: Mouty Shackelford
Marshall Harris in his studio
Marshall Harris 2021
Photo: Mouty Shackelford

MOUTY: What advice would you give to the next generation of aspiring artists?

He considers this for the briefest of moments, and then describes a tattoo that adorns his chest: the word “Persevere” written in mirror script. Marshall says he did it that way so when he looks in the mirror each morning as he brushes his teeth, his mantra is right there, staring back at him.

MARSHALL: For any artist, we have chosen a field of business that is highly subjective, so where one person may say, ‘my kids could do that!’, another will call the work a masterpiece.

So perseverance is the key, but beyond that, Marshall says that you just have to do the work; not because you hope to sell, but because something in you compels you to do so. Like most artists, he claims to have a ‘public storage sized space’ worth of works that may never sell, but he says that’s okay. He draws because that’s what he loves to do, and he believes that he’s been fortunate that others have been receptive to it and have deemed his work to have value. When I tell him that many people say his drawing work may be the best they’ve ever seen, I catch a hint of a blush peeking out from behind his scruffy beard as he acknowledges that that he might be “pretty good” at it. A gentle giant, indeed.

Mouty Shackelford & Marshall Harris in studio at Fort Works Art
Mouty & Marshall at former residency - Fort Works Art
Some of Marshall Harris’ ‘recess projects’ can currently be seen on display at Cufflink Art, including an intriguing collection called “Homage to John Walker.”
Marshall will be spending the Autumn of 2021 in Paris, working on an undisclosed, multi-discipline, collaborative art project being curated by Monte Lester.
Video/Article: Mouty Shackelford
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