Finding Turner Guernsey: A Personal Artistic Journey

Until recently, very few people knew that William Turner came to Guernsey in 1832 and did a series of over 100 sketches across the islands. Turner has been my artistic hero since I was young, so when I was invited by Art for Guernsey to do a retrospective of his time in Guernsey, I jumped at the opportunity!

Turner at the Tate

I have my parents to thank for introducing me to William Turner. During our trips to London, we would visit Tate Britain, where much of Turner’s bequest to the nation is housed. Turner’s experimental approach really struck a chord with me. When I was doing A-level Art, I started looking at Monet and Degas, and you could work out how they created their art, but Turner’s work is on another level – the craftsmanship is outstanding. He was very secretive about his techniques, and I tried to pick away at what his starting point might have been.

Collaboration with Art for Guernsey

It felt like a match made in heaven when Art for Guernsey thought I would be a natural fit for the Finding Turner project. It was good fun sitting down with Jock Pettitt and trying to work out where the locations Turner sketched were. It’s a big body of sketches, and some of them are quite minimal in their linework – and obviously, the landscape of Guernsey has changed quite a bit since 1832.

Finding Turner gave me the opportunity to delve deeper into how Turner went from his initial sketches to finished artworks, and I produced oil paintings, watercolours, and charcoal pieces for the show. It’s actually quite staggering to me how today we can use phones to take photos and computers to think about composition and colour, yet Turner took his sketchbooks everywhere and went from those initial line drawings to his final epic paintings. He must have had a remarkable visual memory and was always trying to better himself.

Inspired by Turner’s Experimentation

Turner’s playfulness and experimentation made him a master of different mediums, and this has inspired me in my own work. He didn’t use watercolours or oils in a traditional way; he tried all sorts of things, and it made me want to experiment more. Before I became a full-time artist, speed was of the essence, and this project has given me the bandwidth to think about my process. I feel I’ve been improving and there is a new confidence in my work.

Embracing Bold Use of Colour

Nowhere is my bold approach more evident than in my use of colour. A while ago, I decided not to use black in my artwork and started really emphasizing the underpainting and thinking about complementary colours to see how I can enhance and amplify them.

My background in graphic design has undoubtedly informed my work. I’m 100% sure that if I’d never become a graphic designer, I’d be doing different art from what I’m doing now. For each painting, I have a set of rules to start with about what colours I’m going to use, and it’s almost like having brand guidelines for each artwork.

Elevating Charcoal Techniques

Of course, my charcoals are on the opposite end of the spectrum. I’ve always done charcoals, but I wanted to elevate them, so I looked at new techniques like using masking tape and putting water with the charcoal, which I’d never done before and which gives it a nice painterly feel. Going back to how Turner was known as the ‘painter of light,’ breaking it down to just two colours was an ideal way to play with light.

The Impact of the Finding Turner Project

The artworks I created for the Finding Turner project have been extremely popular. I’ve always tried to capture that connection to places through my own feelings and memories, and I want to create bright, positive paintings that resonate with people. I’ve received positive feedback from people who said my art makes them happy, and doing this show has definitely brought my work to a new audience. I’m very grateful to Art for Guernsey for giving me this opportunity.

Looking Forward

Next steps for me is taking my learnings from this Turner retrospective into a new body of artwork. With that I will be venturing over to Jersey and doing a series of paintings there. I’m really looking forward to finding the stunning spots over there and find ones which really connect with me. The body of work will build towards an exhibition in November with Jaro Gallery.

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Exhibition photos by JR Photography