Jack Turpin
Born and raised in Vancouver, Jack Turpin attended the University
of
British Columbia before settling in the Fraser Valley. From a very
early age he was attracted to various painting media, but the immediate
and direct qualities of drawing commanded his greatest attention from
that time to the present. This is evident in his work in both Calligraphy
and Caricature, two fields of artistic expressions to which he frequently
returns However, the undeniable tradition of
impressionist and realist painters of the Canadian landscape has
exerted the greatest influence in Jack’s painting. Having been
brought up in a province where the built environment is usually dominated
by the overwhelming beauty of its natural setting, Jack tends to direct
his gaze to the literal edges of human activity - where man and Nature
overlap, but Nature predominates. As such, the appearance and influence
of man’s presence usually assumes a subtle role in the subject
matter of his paintings.
Jack employs a realistic technique in his landscapes, usually keeping
to a limited palette of earth tones and soft complementary colours.
Recurring themes in his paintings are soft light and summoning shapes,
which hint of a story untold or a destination not fully revealed.
Jack sees his role as painter as not unlike that of a storyteller.
He invites the viewer to pause, look more closely into lengthening
afternoon shadows or follow a beckoning, overgrown path.
