Between 1978 and 1985 Marshall produces a variety of collages. Here the emphasis is mainly on form, surface and structure. But in this abstract working-method, he also treats images with a specific significance, mainly derived from fragments of words on labels.

He finds inspiration for collages in various magazines, including Ebony: “In Ebony magazine there was a feature on the collage artist Roman Bearden. That’s where I first understood the value of the medium for studying composition. Cutting shapes and moving things around to analyze picture structure was much more efficient than drawing and redrawing, so I think my ideas about design developed faster. It also clarified my understanding of classical Renaissance pictorial devices.”