Ernie Marjoram Interview With TAG Gallery

Ernie Marjoram
Pot Roast
oil 36 x 36"

From small to monumental, is there a scale that you prefer to work in?

For my plein-aire travel paintings, the canvases have to fit in a suitcase so they are no larger than 16" x 20". In my upcoming show at TAG gallery, I will be exhibiting large-scale still lifes of food which requires bigger canvases.
Most of the works in this exhibition are 30" by 40" and have been painted in the comfort of my studio.

How often do you start a new work?

I tend to put off everything to the last possible moment, my painting included. It isn't until the exhibition deadline approaches that I finally get down to creating the art. It drives my wife crazy!

How do you decide on your palette?

To the eye, my paintings are representational so the color choices are based on reality. A pickle needs to appear green. However beneath the surface, the paintings are abstract compositions of lines and shapes and the green pickle is a combination of red, yellow and blue pigments.

How do you know when a work is finished?

I strive for visual harmony in work. While a painting is on my easel, I often step back, look for distracting elements then return to the easel and eliminate them. When I step back and can find no visual distractions, the painting is finished.

Have you learned any new techniques this year, or traveled to any new painting sites? Will you share what they are?

My exhibition this year is a new direction for me. After years of painting small architectural scenes ion exotic locations, I have chosen to paint simple foods in a contemporary way. My new painting site is the studio!

Ernie Marjoram
Combination Plate
oil 30 x 40"

Of all the stories your paintings might tell, which is your favorite?

Hopefully my food paintings will remind people of meals they have shared with others. For example, my grown son and I sometimes meet for dinner at a Mexican restaurant in West Hollywood. I always order the same thing, a combination plate called "Il Vagabondo" on the menu. My painting "Combination Plate" reminds me of our time together and the bond that we share over a simple meal.

Ernie Marjoram


Ernie Marjoram's exhibition opens February 28, 2012.