Comments on: George E. Marston – The Artist of Antarctica

By: The Art Wanderer

The Art Wanderer — Mon, 11 May 2026 09:45:34 +0000

In reply to Steve Marston. It is fantastic to hear from you Steve, what a wonderful insight. Thank you for sharing

By: Daniela Silvestre

Daniela Silvestre — Sun, 15 Feb 2026 14:16:54 +0000

In reply to Steve Marston. Thanks for your precious words and for sharing your grandfather's legacy with us

By: d

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 13:35:11 +0000

George E. Marston’s oil paints did struggle in Antarctic cold, often freezing or becoming unusable, but he adapted by using them for practical purposes like sealing the lifeboat (the *James Caird), painting quickly in warmer conditions, and supplementing with other media, with his major works often painted after returning, though his diary notes the challenges of painting in extreme cold where linseed oil would typically freeze below -20°C.

By: Steve Marston

Steve Marston — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 21:10:10 +0000

I like your choices – George (My grandfather) painted on Elephant Island under extremely difficult circumstances only a few water colours are in the sketch books – he only had a limited amount of paints left from the sinking of the ship. I think all his oil paints were used in caulking the Caird. With his few remaining water colours he managed to produce a number of works, as he explained in an introduction he wrote for an exhibition of Elephant Island pictures in 1922: ‘During the time of waiting, we were in a state of semi-starvation, the darkness of winter was around us, and opportunities for working were few, but with the returning daylight I was able occasionally to crawl out from our shelter under the upturned boats and make drawings. Having only water colours I was forced to colour them by the side of the blubber stove and by the light of the blubber lamp To protect them from damp and decay I made a case for them from old tent material, dog harness and a piece of my dog whip, and kept them in my sleeping bag, taking them out for an airing during the few fine days we experienced while there Some were unavoidable marked with spots of blubber oil- our principle article of diet- but in the circumstances I have made no effort to remove them’
Most of his work was recorded in notes and sketches using pencil and which he continually worked on until his death in 1940, By which time he was director of the Rural Industries Bureau (1934) and an important figure in the arts and craft movement.