Chronology
| 1945 | Born a triple Virgo in Bumblebee, Arizona, the second of four children, to Chuck and Verna Marquis. |
| 1959-63 | Attended Upland High School in Southern California. |
| 1962 | Old Setter, Blackie, dies. |
| 1963 | Moves to Berkeley, California, where he is based until 1982. Enters University of California at Berkeley (UCB) to study architecture. |
| 1964 | Free Speech Movement. |
| 1965 | Sees Ron Nagle's beaded checkerboard moccasins. |
| 1965-69 | Studies with Peter Voulkos, Jim Melchert, Ron Nagle, Robert Hudson, Ed Rossbach and Marvin Lipofsky to learn everything about everything. |
| 1966 | Sees abstract-expressionist ceramics exhibition at University of California, Irvine, with work by Price, Voulkos, Melchert, Nagle and Michael Frimkiss. Transfers to decorative arts department (later called the design department), UCB, to concentrate in ceramics and glass. Included in first Toledo Glass National. |
| 1967 | The Summer of Love. Drives across the country with Lipofsky to become his teaching assistant at Haystack School of Crafts. Sees Funk show at University Art Museum, Berkeley; Peter Selz, curator. Eisner Prize for Design and President's Undergraduate Fellowship from UCB enables building of own glassblowing studio. Sees American Sculpture of the Sixties at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art which includes works by Ken Price and J. C. Westermann. |
| 1967-69 | Has numerous confrontations with the Oakland Draft Board. |
| 1968 | People's Park confrontation in Berkeley. General craziness. Sees H.C. Westermann at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Exhibits in The American Craftsmen's Invitational Exhibition at the Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, Seattle. Also included were Robert Arneson, Ron Nagle, Wendell Castle, Arlene Fisch, Paolo Soleri, Ken Cory, Nick Labino, and Bob Stockside. |
| 1969 | Awarded Fullbright-Hayes Fellowship to Italy; lives in Venice and works at Venini Fabbrica in Murano. Visits the late Giorgio Morandi's studio outside Bologna, Italy. Exhibits in Young Americans at the American Craft Museum, New York. Included in Objects USA, an exhibition organized by Paul Smith and Lee Nordness for Johnson Wax Foundation. |
| 1970 | Teaches glass and ceramics at the University of Washington in Seattle for a year. English Setter, Nigel, whelped. |
| 1971 | Has solo show at Manolides Gallery in Seattle. Visits glassblowing camp in Stanwood, Washington, later named Pilchuck. Determines that it'll never work. |
| 1972 | Produces Lord's Prayer Murrina at Chico State University as part of UCB master's thesis. Actually tries wearing "Earth Shoes." |
| 1973 | Teaches at Haystack School of Crafts, where he develops murrine teapots. Travels in Europe and the Far East. Returns to Murano, Italy, on first of many visits over the next thirty-two years. |
| 1974 | Receives first of four National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Fellowships. Conducts series of workshops in Australia with grant from the Australian Crafts Council. |
| 1975 | Blows glass in Berkeley and Benicia with Nick Mount. Brother Bill dies. |
| 1976 | Builds glass shop in Hobart as artist-in-residence at the Tasmanian School for Arts. Has solo traveling exhibition in Australia entitled Technique Is Not So Cheap. |
| 1977 | Establishes Marquis Deluxe Studios in Berkeley with Jack Wax and Jody Fine. Begins "The Big Commute" - six years of teaching glass at University of California, Los Angeles, while operating the studio in Berkeley. Mistakes are made. |
| 1978 | Sees Ken Price's Happy's Curios show at the Los Angeles County Art Museum. Is blown away. Second NEA grant enables Marquis to develop the Fabricated Weird series. |
| 1979 | Included in New Glass: A Worldwide Survey at the Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY. "Marquis Deluxe Studios" pupates into "Marlux" which then metamorphoses into "HOTMIRE" (an acronym for Hippies Out to Make It Rich Experiment.) Whole operation ceases in 1980 or 1981. |
| 1980 | Travels and works in New Zealand on Senior Fulbright Fellowship. |
| 1981 | Collaborates with Therman Statom on large-scale installations. They work together over the next seven years. |
| 1983 | Quits teaching at UCLA, pulls up stakes in Berkeley, and buys property on an island in Puget Sound. Starts Noble Effort Design with Ro Purser and produces some of the strangest production glass ever made. |
| 1984-86 | The Lost Years. Works on Neon Heads, Personal Archive Units, Big Rocks, and starts endless project of building a 1934 Ford Street Rod. |
| 1985 | Takes "Frizzell's Friendly Photo Correspondence Course" and sets up a photography studio. |
| 1986 | Shard Rockets included in Poetry of the Physical at the American Craft Museum, New York. Famous Dog, Nigel, goes to Happy Bird Hunting Grounds. |
| 1987 | Exhibits at Betsy Rosenfield Gallery, Chicago, and Kurland/Summers Gallery, Los Angeles. Marries Johanna Nitzke in Stonington Maine. Dissolves partnership in Noble Effort. Father dies. English Setter, Pete, whelped. |
| 1988 | Returns to New Zealand on second Senior Fulbright Fellowship to produce exhibition at Dowse Art Museum. Begins working with Dante Marioni on Teapot Goblets. Their working relationship continues to the present, including teaching workshops worldwide. |
| 1990 | Discusses making pieces based on work Carlo Scarpa did at Venini with Lino Tagliapietra while in New Zealand. The name Marquiscarpa for these works is decided. |
| 1991 | Dedicates exhibit at Kurland/Summers Gallery in Los Angeles to Carlo Scarpa and Ludovico Diaz de Santillana. |
| 1992 | Mother dies. |
| 1993 | Frank Zappa dies. |
| 1994 | Vincent Black Shadow arrives on doorstep courtesy of Bob Naess. Works on Dog Pieces. Begins exhibiting at Elliott Brown Gallery, Seattle. |
| 1995 | Elected to the College of Fellows of the American Crafts Council, New York. Exhibits in Holding the Past: Historicism in Recent Northwest Glass Sculpture at the Seattle Art Museum; Patterson Sims and Vicki Halper, curators. Debuts large Marquiscarpa pieces at Franklin Parrasch Gallery, New York. Turns fifty years old and decides to take a year off from making objects. Year turns into eighteen months. |
| 1996 | Works on old cars, old boats, and new kitchen. |
| 1997 | Monograph Richard Marquis Objects is published. Exhibits retrospective Richard Marquis Objects: 1967 - 1997 at Seattle Art Museum. Begins collaboration with Bullseye Glass in Portland. Begins exhibiting with Caterina Tognon, Bergamo and Venice, Italy. Nell, vanilla Labrador Retriever, arrives. |
| 1998 | English Setter, Pete, dies. Installs exhibition at Caffe Florian in Venice with Caterina Tognon. Works at Waterford Crystal Factory in Ireland on Towers. '34 Ford hotrod becomes drivable - not finished - just drivable. |
| 1999 | Travels in Europe. Begins silhouette murrine pieces. Unintentionally feeds squirrels with 2400 crocus bulbs planted in woods. |
| 2000 | Teaches in Scotland and travels to Orkneys. Researches camping techniques in Adirondacks. Receives Distinguished Alumnus Award from U.C. Berkeley. Receives Outstanding Achievement in Glass Award from Urban Glass, NY. Bush steals election. Works on Potato Boxes and Chemistry Sets. |
| 2001 | Camps with Dante Marioni and Nick Mount; slab constructions are discussed. Begins slab constructions. Travels in Europe. |
| 2002 | Willie, the three-toed vanilla Labrador Retriever, whelped. Begins work on Daguerreotypes. Travels in Europe and U.S. National Parks. Pete Voulkos dies. Works on camping skills. |
| 2003 | Gateaux, nineteen-year-old French kitty, dies. $100 Flat-Foot Contest lost to Sherman Woo. Starts collecting Daguerreotype equipment. |
| 2004 | Michael, stepson, arrives. Buck, the orange plywood kitty, arrives. Organizes Unintentional Art show at Priceless Works Gallery in Seattle. Receives Libensky Award from Pilchuck Glass School at Ste. Michelle Winery. Starts building Daguerreotype studio (a.k.a. Poison Vapor Room). Works in Venice and Japan. Is not happy with getting older. |
| 2005 | Completes house after 23 years. Completes Daguerreotype studio. Collaborates with Therman Statom in Sweden after 20-year hiatus. Receives Lifetime Achievement Award from Glass Art Society in Adelaide. Bruce Springstein's "Glory Days" plays during ceremony. Perfects camping skills. Begins rearing Silver Sebright Bantams. |
| 2006 | Teaches at Northlands in Scotland. Is Artist-in-Residence at Pilchuck. Works on fractal murrine, new Chemistry Sets. |
| 2007 | Finishes '34 Ford hotrod (projected). |