About the Artist
Karri Turner
I was born in a pretty dangerous town in Ft. Worth, Texas. A flyer came in the mail for beautiful, safe Bella Vista, Arkansas….so we moved. I knew we were poor, but, it was sorta fun….it was cold, but creative. As a little girl, I watched Mae West movies on our old TV, and acting became something I latched on to. Here we go…. I moved to California to study acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. That led to a 30 year career in film and television…YAY! I got blessed enough to do some sitcoms until I landed a role on a military drama; J.A.G. for 9 years, plus a few films. In my down time, I was invited overseas with the USO to thank the troops. I did 18 tours to Afghanistan, Iraq, Korea, Djibouti, Cuba, then back to the military hospitals. War is life changing.
Anyhoo…where did the art start? Here’s the scoop:
I began painting when I was 4 (if you could call it painting). Later I took art classes and even sold my first painting to a teacher in my high school….SCORE! The rest was all self taught…trial and many errors. I realized that any surface can be a canvas…bless my poor husband, and all the walls in my house. I painted the outdoor cushions, then found an old pillow case that needed to re-purposed… voila! A new canvas! A bag of t-shirts made their way into my craft studio (aka guest bedroom), and were begging to be a canvas, so I helped them out.
My first series of actual canvases was inspired by a LOST SOCK. I realized that when I put my laundry in the washer, then the dryer, inevitably one sock would be missing. Grrrr. It made me wonder if it went to “sock heaven” or into “sock outer space”. It made me think of loss in general. Soon the paintings came fast and furious as I wondered about the lost idea. It lead to lost light, lost memory, lost love, lost at sea…..you get the idea. I use oil, acrylic, pencil, and an occasional Sharpie. I’m also not afraid of a little hot glue.
What I keep finding annoying, yet rewarding, are the faces that kept showing up without my permission. I set out to paint a sock, and a face showed up, along with a sock monkey. Random! I’ve almost learned not to get frustrated, and just let them in my work. I love to paint at night when it’s quiet and the world has gone to bed. Currently I’m on to anything that fascinates me….top hats, umbrellas and rain. We’ll see what’s next.
Just look for the faces...