Biography

Ray Turner’s new paintings are metaphors for life. Turner selects earthly paths and waterways as symbols of this journey. The paths represent the solidity of the thoroughfares through which we wander. The waters are the self-propelling flow of the journey itself. Progressing to, raising above, and seeking more than is known and is visible, is Turner’s subject, representing mankind’s compulsion to move and be moved.

With rich applications, vibrant colors and lush brushstrokes, Turner creates compelling landscapes. Swelling streams and calm waters, burgeoning fields, strange, animated shapes emerging from the darkness take the viewer through mesmerizing uncharted territories. The hills, with their rich foliage and golden light, lead to broad sweeps of infinity. These depictions symbolize the quest of the human spirit and the voyage that moves us through life.

To convey these life paths, Turner works with two related artistic elements; the horizon line and the position from which the viewer perceives the landscape. Central to landscape painting is the horizon line. Artists throughout history have used it as the demarcation that defines the relationship between earth and sky. The proportions of land versus sky determine the mood. By varying the emphasis of these great masses, Turner heightens the drama of the scenery and ultimately, the pleasure of the viewer.

Integral to the placement of the horizon line is Turner’s positioning of the landscape to alter the vantage point from which the viewer witnesses the scene. The artist takes us up hills, down valleys, through meandering streams and pathways. By varying these elements, Turner provides another description of the dynamism of life’s journey which is never straight, static or predictable, but like Turner’s art, is a unique experience to behold.

- Roberta Carasso, Ph.D.