A Bermudian painter in the United States has thrown his hat in the ring for the upcoming Biennial exhibition at the Bermuda National Gallery while preparing for a solo show at the Bermuda Society of Arts.

Zachary Marshall, 31, said he aimed to increase his profile on the island after a long time abroad.

Mr Marshall, who lived in Los Angeles before he returned to New York in 2022, told The Royal Gazette: “Since I’m back on the East Coast, it’s far easier for me to pop over to Bermuda to participate in its art scene.

“Right now I’m prepping for a solo exhibition of my work at the Bermuda Society of Arts for May 31, which will run for about three weeks.

“My plan is to continue showing regularly at home moving forward.”

The Bermuda Biennial runs from April until January 2025.

After the open call went out for submissions to the National Gallery showing, Mr Marshall said: “I thought it would be the perfect opportunity for me to start building a presence on the island again.

“I submitted four recent paintings for the jurors’ consideration, but there’s no guarantee that my paintings will be admitted — there are many talented Bermudian and Bermuda-based artists, and it’s tough competition.

“But I’m hopeful the jurors will find my work interesting. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I make it in and get to show alongside some of the great artistic talents of Bermuda.”

Mr Marshall has exhibited previously at home for the Rick Faries Gallery, as well as Charman Prize exhibitions, and a solo show in an unoccupied retail space in Hamilton showcasing his work as an undergraduate at the Rhode Island School of Design.

His last solo exhibit in New York came a few years ago before Mr Marshall moved to Los Angeles, but he said he was now working on six large canvases for a show in the city this year.

He lives in Brooklyn at present, with his studio in Manhattan.

Confined during the Covid-19 pandemic, Mr Marshall said he had developed his skills, with many of his sales these days going to Bermudians.

He explained: “I was living in Los Angeles during the pandemic. It was within my first year I was there that the city went into lockdown.

“As a painter, I already spend a great deal of time alone chipping away at my work, so when Covid was at its height it did not cause a huge lifestyle change for me.

“I took it as an opportunity to really focus in on honing my skills in perspectival and anatomical drawing.”

He added: “I had always felt that I needed to refine these two skill sets.

“This training I did during Covid allowed me to produce the work I’m making now.”

The paintings submitted for the Bermuda show are oil works based off watercolour improvisations.

Mr Marshall said he took subject ideas from antiquity, such as the Epic of Gilgamesh or the writings of Homer, as well as medieval motifs.

He added that he hoped to make a return to sculpture.

Spending more time on the island will allow Mr Marshall greater opportunity to see the creations that made it back to Bermuda.

He said: “It’s always nice to be invited to a home when I’m on the island and see a painting of mine hung in a living room.

“It’s interesting to hear from them what aspect of the work resonated with them to such a degree that they wanted it to become part of their home, part of their every day.”

Mr Marshall hopes to balance life in New York with his home country.

He said: “Bermuda is so close to me now that I intend to be on the island as often as possible.

“I hope at some point to be able to split my time between the two places.”