Sunshine Coast artist Margaret Turner has spent a lifetime creating, but it is persistence—not talent, she insists—that lies behind her striking abstract works, which will be on display at her home studio as part of the Open Studios experience in Caloundra in July.
Ask 78-year-old Sunshine Coast artist Margaret Turner how long she has been making art and she laughs. The answer is simple: most of her life.
Although first established as a sculptor, it was a change of direction in the late 90’s, during her years teaching website design at UniSC, that led Margaret to give painting a go.
Back then, their Art Department didn’t have a technician to support sculpture, so she switched to painting, Margaret recalls. “Painting is more manageable than sculpture.”
Today, acrylic paint is her medium of choice, though her approach is anything but conventional. Home-made squeegees, marbles, string and even stencil brushes help Margaret create her works… whatever the paint and canvas need.
“My artistic process is to put paint onto the panels. Then I like to see what’s going on and I respond to what the paint and canvas are doing. I follow it along until it says to me ‘I’m done’ and then I know we’re finished,” she says.
“My intention is not to have intention. I let the paint and the canvas talk. It’s a conversation. I let the art take the lead.”
“Today, if you want to have an exhibition you have to write a statement. For me, the art isn’t artwork anymore, it becomes an illustration of the intention… urgh.”
A featured artist in the Open Studios Coastal experience, Margaret will open her home to art lovers in July, inviting them behind the scenes of her practice.
Some of her newest works from the Between the Lines series will also be on display in The Artist’s Window at Talented Friends Gallery in the Village Walkway.
Despite the countless exhibitions and recognition of her craft through numerous awards and accolades, Margaret is remarkably humble when talking about her art and her reality.
“The tough thing about painting is that you have to keep turning up every day. I don’t think I’m that talented. But I am persistent.”
Open Studios Coastal Caloundra Trail takes place on July 18 and 19. Find out more at openstudiossunshinecoast.com.au.
