WATCH: Dig This - In The Gallery with Etienne Marquis
- Etienne Marquis' exhibition 'The Bleeding Veil' is on at Guernsey Arts Greenhouse Gallery
- His central triptych depicts four Guernsey folklore stories including The Mermaids of Petit Bot Bay, the Dance of the Fairies, the Sorcerers Sabbath, and the story of Le Belle and La Petite Lizabeau
- Marquis works methodically with a limited color palette, combining classical academic painting techniques with contemporary surrealism to explore modern life
- The artist dropped out of business studies to pursue art, later studying oil painting at Falmouth University and working under Cornish artist Nina Royle
- Currently balancing museum work with his art practice, Marquis credits Guernsey Arts for supporting his voice in the local arts scene and is also preparing for an exhibition in France lasting until mid-August
Etienne Marquis is methodical.
He likes to have a structured order to everything.
It is this outlook that drew him to oil painting, a medium he is using to explore the old and the new, marrying them together.
His latest exhibition is at The Guernsey Arts Greenhouse Gallery, called The Bleeding Veil it juxtaposes local folktales with classical portraits, all surrounded by silk and soundtracked.
Etienne never imagined being an artist until dropping out of a business class at the former College of Further Education. He moved to do an art and design course there, then on to Falmouth University where for three years he stuck to the practice of oil painting.
He studied under Cornish artist Nina Royle as a painting assistant.
“I'm quite methodical about the way I approach life,” he said on the latest episode of our podcast Dig This.
“I like to have a very structured order to everything, and with oil painting it's a long process, but you can break it into chunks, so you've got building the canvas, priming it, mixing your paints, and it's also you can pick a path that you want to go down.
“There's different mediums that affect the opacity or transparency of your paints. I work from a limited color palette, so those are colors that I've specifically chosen and felt drawn to to create my work, so it's very individualised and accustomed to you, which I really like.”
On his website, Etienne is described as an artist whose work explores the twisted and visionary world of contemporary surrealism through the medium of oil paints.
“I started off with inspirations from classical academic pieces, a lot of old masters styles, but then I wanted to incorporate those esthetics into stories of contemporary life, things that happen in my life, things that happen around me, blended together into this weird amalgamation of warped realism.”
A lot of his work is about opposites meeting - his latest show is just that.
“We've got stories from real life, but then also folk tales, and then we've got imagery that's reminiscent of historical iconography, but then that's interpreted through people of the now, real people that exist today, and landmarks that exist today.”
The places depicted in the central triptych, which dominates the gallery in a homemade frame, are all sites in Guernsey that have historical memory and reverence, but Etienne has painted them as they look now.
The triptych was his first big project since returning from university.
“The first month I got back, I started pouring over every single published material and folklore I could get my hands on. I narrowed it down to The Mermaids of Petit Bot Bay. Then I've got the Dance of the Fairies at the top, which is at La Table des Pions, or the Fairy Ring. The Sorcerers Sabbath at Le Trepied dolmen, and then the story of Le Belle and La Petite Lizabeau at Pleinmont.
“They're all very different, but are connected under the umbrella of folklore. I wanted to put them together and show the versatility of Guernsey's folklore in terms of the actual stories. It’s ranging a quite big historical gap, the fairies and Le Belle and La Petite Lizabeau, are stories that are ingrained in the actual geography of the landscape.
“The fairies are said to have created a lot of the structures around Guernsey, like the dolmens, the fairy rings, all that type of stuff, and then with Belle, that's about a formation of stones at the cliffs that have humanoid shapes.
“Then later on, when Guernsey started establishing more of a connection with the mainland through shipping and trade, stories of mermaids started coming in. So the main story I'm referencing here is The Mermaids of Petit Bot Bay, which was referenced in Guernsey folklore by Sir Edgar McCulloch.
“Then later on with the mass introduction of Christianity to the island came stories of witches and devils, and it is said they took over the fairies' homes like the dolmens, which drove the fairies eventually to suicide, and that's what I'm interpreting there, the ghosts of the fairies haunting the scorned homes.”
Another striking painting in the show is called Boy of Kernow.
It features Etienne’s partner, James Kitts, who is a puppeteer.
“I wanted to create this idea of decomposing symbolism. He's from Cornwall, which has a housing crisis quite similar to our own, where young people can't really afford to live in the homes that they were raised in.
“I’ve represented that through the symbolism of pirates and Cornish piracy with the feathery friend that's decomposing on his arm, so it's like a mournful lament to the loss of that piracy freedom.”
It is a busy time for Etienne, who is currently working on another show in France that will last until mid-August.
He also has commissions to work on.
Etienne is still in the early stages of being an artist, like many supplementing his income with a job at the museum.
It means a tricky balancing act, leading to months where he’ll rarely go outside.
He said that without the support of Guernsey Arts, he would not have a voice like he does in the arts scene.
“They introduced me to that world through the Guernsey Arts Open at the George Crossan Gallery, and then after that it was Seafront Sundays, another exhibition at the George Crossan, we had the Liberation 80 here, the postcard exhibition here, and now this one. It's incredible the work they do, and they're so dedicated to helping, which I really appreciate.”
Painting is a comfort, it makes him happy, calm.
“The lifelong goal is to have a little cabin, and just to be painting in that, in obscurity, maybe creating some pieces I sell around the world, but other than that, I'll just be happy painting.”
See when the exhibition is open here.
Guernsey Arts is accepting expressions of interest for solo artists living locally to exhibit in the Greenhouse Gallery during the 2027 - 2028 season. The form can be downloaded here.
Q&A
Q: What inspired Etienne Marquis to create 'The Bleeding Veil' exhibition?
A: Etienne spent his first month back from university researching every published material on Guernsey folklore he could find. He wanted to juxtapose local folktales with classical portrait techniques, creating an exhibition that explores the island's diverse folklore stories ranging from ancient fairy tales to stories of mermaids and witches introduced through trade and Christianity.
Q: How does Etienne's methodical approach influence his oil painting practice?
A: Etienne's methodical nature draws him to oil painting because it's a long process that can be broken into structured chunks including building the canvas, priming it, and mixing paints. He works from a limited color palette that he's specifically chosen, creating a very individualized and customized approach to his work.
Q: What role has Guernsey Arts played in Etienne's artistic career?
A: Etienne credits Guernsey Arts with giving him a voice in the arts scene. They introduced him through the Guernsey Arts Open at the George Crossan Gallery, followed by Seafront Sundays, another exhibition at George Crossan, Liberation 80, a postcard exhibition, and now 'The Bleeding Veil.' He says without their support, he wouldn't have the platform he currently has.
Comments ()