Mike Marsh and Jo Giddens exhibit joint show at Space Gallery in Whanganui

Mike Marsh in his Castlecliff studio. Photo / Bevan Conley

Rock stars dead or alive cover the walls of the small gallery at Mike Marsh's Castlecliff home.

There are the obvious suspects such as David Bowie and Lemmy Kilmister, and lesser knowns such as Stooges bass player Dave Alexander.

"He died when he was 27 and the portrait is one of a series I did on artists who died young - the 27 Club.

"I had a phase of painting dead musicians with minimal colours, then I did some living ones with lots of bright colours and some I made up."

His fictional bands with names like The Mouth Swabs, Harmpit, The Nervous Bowels and The Pussywhippers feature some familiar faces in them including his own.

"I enjoy coming up with names for bands and I use people I know for some."

The Pussywhippers line-up has familiar Whanganui faces and Marsh made four separate portraits of Jack Mitchell-Anyon, Matt Edmonds, Nick Ericcson and Jamie Waugh which have appeared in several shows.

Marsh's work seems to be everywhere at the moment - the Waugh portrait was a winner in the recent Waimarino Art Awards, his street art can be seen on fences and power boxes around Whanganui and his paintings grace several cafe and gallery walls.

And he currently has a show at Space Gallery with printmaker Jo Giddens.

JAM bangers and mash ups

features screen prints by Marsh, something he says he has not done a lot of.

Mike Marsh and Jo Giddens setting up their combined exhibition at Space Gallery. Photo / Bevan Conley

"I'm from Feilding and I did the fine arts degree here at UCOL from 2006 to 2010.

"I enjoy printing but painting became my main focus and sharing a show with Jo has encouraged me to do some screen prints."

Marsh says he had another artist lined up for a combined exhibition who had to pull out.

"Jo came to visit me during Artists Open Studios and we agreed to share the show."

JAM bangers and mash ups — works by Mike Marsh and Jo Giddens — is open for viewing at Space Gallery, 64 Taupo Quay from Tuesday to Thursday 9am-1pm. Friday and Saturday 9am-1pm until July 27.