Laurie Marshall had always doodled a bit with pencil and paper, but first picked up a paintbrush at an art drop-in center when he was about 50 years old. Marshall grew up in farming country, hence the appearance of cows, horses, and other creatures in his paintings. He applies paint in thick layers and often scratches images through the paint. He uses a palette knife or his hands to work – he doesn’t like paint brushes. Sometimes he has an idea of an image he would like to paint, but usually he just starts painting and good things happen.

Marshall paints on thin pieces of particle board. He signs them “elbo”, which is a nickname he uses for artwork. His life changed dramatically one day when an art collector saw his work; that meeting led to a successful exhibition.