JAMESMARSH ART&DESIGN

“I was born in ’46 and grew up in the ’50s so was part of that post-war generation which became more aspirational, in wanting to make a fresh start after the War. That’s why the 60s was such a big deal for my generation: it symbolised moving away from austerity. After leaving art college, I gravitated to London to find suitable employment. Moving there in the Swinging ’60s was a seminal period for me in all respects. It’s fascinating to recall those creative times in my writing. It was akin to living in the eye of a hurricane in some respects.”

Interestingly, his art career began in the music industry, starting with his first job at Pye Records before moving on to Decca Records.” After leaving Decca, he joined Alan Aldridge in forming a new design group called ‘Ink Studios’. “There I worked on a wide range of projects, including publishing, advertising and editorial work. I also collaborated on the Beatles Illustrated Lyrics book & Andy Warhol’s ‘Chelsea Girls’ poster, which was really the start of my 3-D model making phase.” From there he set up his own studio called ‘Head Office’, working internationally on everything from major ad campaigns to magazine & book covers. “It’s there that model making took over for quite a while.”

3D  illustration work created for the ‘Beatles Illustrated Lyrics’ book, 1968
‘Title page’ (Paul supplying lyric puzzle pieces) – ‘Taxman’ mincer – ‘Nowhere Man’ ? – ‘I’m only Sleeping’ John & Yoko.

Despite having a varied clientele, musicians seem to hold a special affinity for Marsh. “That’s because musicians are creative people, there’s a similar mindset. Generally I tend to work with people who like what I do, consequently their happy to give me a free hand creatively. My creative services are affordable for most musicians, which normally consist of visuals through to print-ready files, usually in the form of a complete album package, often including a logo or some form of branding in the bargain. I’m interested in typography too. Creating the complete packaging is preferable to me than simply providing the cover art. It’s the overall concept and quality control that I’m aiming for.”

As a book illustrator it was pertinent that Marsh read the manuscripts prior to creating any cover images to encapsulate the narrative. Ironically, whilst creating images for Talk Talk he was not privy to hearing much of their music before providing concepts. “This was down to timing. Promotional material was required way before albums were completed, which made it impossible to hear the music beforehand.”
Of his fruitful association with Talk Talk, Marsh not only created the images, he’s also a longtime fan of the hauntingly immersive and highly- unique English band. “I still enjoy listening to them. With Talk Talk, my artwork has become synonymous with their music – the two are now fused together in time.”
A selection of Talk Talk albuml covers from the ’80s decade of recordings – above & below.
He worked with them throughout the ’80s when they finally split. Around this time computer generated art started to take hold.
“In the early 90s when this kind of change began, other traditional illustrators like myself avoided the technology. I resisted initially as it was quite a different working method altogether, plus there’s no actual physical artwork to exhibit. However, I realised if I wanted to become autonomous I’d need to get involved somehow; everything was being digitised then. I also acknowledged that technology would allow me to live outside of London. I’m never happy when things feel static creatively, or I’m not progressing as an artist, so I also wanted to move on for that reason.”

Vinyl albums – Jamirouquai ‘Emergency on Planet Earth – Gerry Rafferty ‘Right Down the Line’ – – Erazure ‘Crackers International’ – Colin Blunstone’s ‘Keats’, part of the ‘Alan Parson’s Project’.

Changes within the industry perpetuated his move from London to the Kent coast, and a less urban lifestyle.
“Times change and so did illustration. In the mid-90s, most art directors of my generation were retiring, leading to younger ones coming into the business, who were naturally hiring within their own age group. This also encouraged the rise of ‘lad culture’, consequently anything that had gone before was automatically rejected. There’s always a backlash against any establishment, it continues to this day – that’s what the younger generation does. I then realised, I was considered old school. Coincidentally, I also wanted to explore other creative avenues, including fine art, so it was a convergence of several things that affected my move. I owned a large house in Clapham, and decided to sell up and follow my instincts. I think the timing was perfect for me to do that.”

Despite having a varied clientele, musicians seem to hold a special affinity for Marsh. “That’s because musicians are creative people, there’s a similar mindset. Generally I tend to work with people who like what I do, consequently their happy to give me a free hand creatively. My creative services are affordable for most musicians, which normally consist of visuals through to print-ready files, usually in the form of a complete album package, often including a logo or some form of branding in the bargain. I’m interested in typography too. Creating the complete packaging is preferable to me than simply providing the cover art. It’s the overall concept and quality control that I’m aiming for.”

A selection of contemporary music packaging covers – ‘Scatter Factory’ – Venture Lift ‘Tower of Spacious Karma’ – ‘Dalton’ – Venture Lift ‘Street of Mirrors’