Royal Arts Collective
Gallery : Artist Promotion
Marrs
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contact Marrs with questions or to commission a painting: marrsart@gmail.com
Marrs "280 SE"
Mercedes-Benz 280 SE coupeacrylic on canvas
Marrs "600 SWB"
Mercedes-Benz 600 short wheel base limousine with cherry blossoms acrylic on canvas
News brief: 2/14/2009
Mercedes-Benz History Inspires Artist
Portland, OR
Mercedes-Benz is the world’s oldest automobile manufacturer and has won public acclaim, engineering awards and checkered flags throughout it’s illustrious history. A footnote to it’s success is evidenced by the automotive artist Marrs who announced that he is dedicating his entire body of work for 2009 to the famous marque.
“There’s really no other company in the world like Mercedes-Benz” the artist noted, “but more important, there is no other company that has such an international following of dedicated collectors and enthusiasts.” He explained that while car makers like Porsche or Ferrari attract their share of fanatical owners, they tend to focus on one type of vehicle; sports cars. In contrast, the famously wide range of vehicles that Mercedes-Benz has produced over the last century allows what is arguably the most diverse group of enthusiasts of any car maker.
The artist explained “If you attend a Mercedes meet, you might see a 600-horsepower SLR owner parked next to the guy in an 1970's diesel 300cd, and they will be chatting like old friends.” Marrs says he has been lucky to own many great cars over the years, but nothing inspires him like the history and innovation of his now-favorite brand.
When asked if it might be a mistake to focus on only one brand for a full year’s body of work, the artist remarked, “I am only giving myself one year to be selfish and paint what I love, but if anything, it’s too little time. I could probably be quite content painting Mercedes cars for the rest of my life and never run out of inspiration.”
What exactly inspired the controversial move? Marrs told us his decision was motivated in part by time spent on several Mercedes owner’s forums. “I visit the forums for advice on my own cars from time to time, and also to find inspiration for new work, but once immersed in those websites I quickly realized it's a community like no other.” He continued, “You have every age, gender, race and geographic location represented by people who absolutely love and rely on their Mercedes. That’s something exceptional and I wanted to honor the innovation and engineering prowess of Mercedes-Benz over the last century.”
Marrs is a painter of automobiles and aircraft, and works from his Portland, Oregon studio. His work is a mix of gallery fine art and private commissions for owners of fine cars and vintage airplanes. He is represented by the Royal Arts Collective. (www.royalartscollective.com)
Marrs "Lying In Wait"
Aston Martin DBR9 in Gulf Oil Livery
acrylic/oil on canvas
The finished version of "Mercury Rising"
Lewis Hamilton's Formula-1 Mercedes-McLaren: Private Collection
acrylic on canvas (no prints made)
Aston Martin DBR9 in Gulf Oil Livery
acrylic/oil on canvas
Mini Bio:
Marrs is a highly adaptable modern artist with a penchant for both the victories and tragedies of motorsport. His early paintings in the late 1990's were primarily commissioned work depicting fine automobiles from the personal collections of his clients. His more recent works have embraced the worlds of science fiction fantasy art, historic racing scenes and a Warhol-like enthusiasm for the dark side of the sport.
His personal interest in Formula 1 racing has inspired much of his 2007/08 work. Considering his racing series, Marrs developed a unique pop-art style that complements and perfectly captures the thrill of high speed motoring. Where appropriate, such as aluminum-bodied cars, McLaren chrome bodied F1 racers, etc., Marrs incorporates the centuries-old technique of metal leafing often used on antique furniture and religious icon paintings. This unique method creates a true metallic surface that cannot be duplicated with any form of paint. This melding of modern art and ages-old technique truly sets the artist apart from all other automotive painters.
Marrs credits his childhood affinity for science fiction cinema as the inspiration for his highly fantastic images of future worlds, exotic spacecraft and their inhabitants.
Not many painters can claim as wide and varied scope of both style and subject matter as Marrs, a truly original artist.
Marrs is a highly adaptable modern artist with a penchant for both the victories and tragedies of motorsport. His early paintings in the late 1990's were primarily commissioned work depicting fine automobiles from the personal collections of his clients. His more recent works have embraced the worlds of science fiction fantasy art, historic racing scenes and a Warhol-like enthusiasm for the dark side of the sport.
His personal interest in Formula 1 racing has inspired much of his 2007/08 work. Considering his racing series, Marrs developed a unique pop-art style that complements and perfectly captures the thrill of high speed motoring. Where appropriate, such as aluminum-bodied cars, McLaren chrome bodied F1 racers, etc., Marrs incorporates the centuries-old technique of metal leafing often used on antique furniture and religious icon paintings. This unique method creates a true metallic surface that cannot be duplicated with any form of paint. This melding of modern art and ages-old technique truly sets the artist apart from all other automotive painters.
Marrs credits his childhood affinity for science fiction cinema as the inspiration for his highly fantastic images of future worlds, exotic spacecraft and their inhabitants.
Not many painters can claim as wide and varied scope of both style and subject matter as Marrs, a truly original artist.
The Creative Process; the making of "Mercury Rising"
Laying out the scene
Details are added
Laying out the scene
Details are added
The finished version of "Mercury Rising"
Lewis Hamilton's Formula-1 Mercedes-McLaren: Private Collection
acrylic on canvas (no prints made)
Prices and Fees
Special Order Commissions: $600 and up, based on size
Limited Edition Prints: $249
Open Edition Mini-Prints: $75
Originals: $2,200-$4,500
A note from the artist,
Special order commissions are initiated by either photographing your car in person if you are local or provide travel costs, or you may email me a favorite image. Rates are based on the size of the piece which ultimately translates to time spent working on the painting. The larger the piece, the more time must be dedicated, thus a higher cost. My very first paintings for customers were small 8x10 canvases and sold for $100-200. Soon I had more commissions than time and had to stop accepting new work while I got caught up. I decided to raise my prices to reflect the greater demand which in turn slowed the number of commissions, for a while at least. Eventually I priced my work at $600 and I am yet again finding myself booked solid for most months with availability only possible when there is a rare cancellation. It is now time to consider a new price point, which is how all markets work and especially the art market. Sometime over the summer I will raise my starting price for commissions to $800. If you haven't yet commissioned a custom painting of your car, this may seem like bad news, but in reality it shows you that my work is collected and valued more highly as time passes and that my client base keeps growing. if you already own one of my pieces, then break out the champagne, your investment just became more valuable!
Prices for prints and mini-prints will remain the same as those costs have not increased substantially.
Limited Edition Prints: $249
Open Edition Mini-Prints: $75
Originals: $2,200-$4,500
A note from the artist,
Special order commissions are initiated by either photographing your car in person if you are local or provide travel costs, or you may email me a favorite image. Rates are based on the size of the piece which ultimately translates to time spent working on the painting. The larger the piece, the more time must be dedicated, thus a higher cost. My very first paintings for customers were small 8x10 canvases and sold for $100-200. Soon I had more commissions than time and had to stop accepting new work while I got caught up. I decided to raise my prices to reflect the greater demand which in turn slowed the number of commissions, for a while at least. Eventually I priced my work at $600 and I am yet again finding myself booked solid for most months with availability only possible when there is a rare cancellation. It is now time to consider a new price point, which is how all markets work and especially the art market. Sometime over the summer I will raise my starting price for commissions to $800. If you haven't yet commissioned a custom painting of your car, this may seem like bad news, but in reality it shows you that my work is collected and valued more highly as time passes and that my client base keeps growing. if you already own one of my pieces, then break out the champagne, your investment just became more valuable!
Prices for prints and mini-prints will remain the same as those costs have not increased substantially.
