Colin Turner

Different Windows

The plastic sheets had sat in a wooden wine box in the closet for years. It wasn’t until I began to compile a record of my work that I dug them out. They were from the early nineties. To exhibit your art anywhere back then, you submitted your slides. What I needed were jpegs forContinue reading “Different Windows”

Mixed Reviews

In April of 2021, I clicked the “publish” button. IMAGE: An Illustrated Novel went live on Amazon. What drove me to that decision was largely a positive editorial review that I had paid for the year before (thank you government stimulus check). Kirkus Reviews, a famously harsh and widely respected judge of literary merit, hadContinue reading “Mixed Reviews”

A Few More for the Gallery

Some were newly photographed. Other shots were older. I chose seven as sufficiently mature to include. With their addition, I have forty pieces (or their digital equivalence, anyway). The ones under glass have a camera and tripod reflection. It wasn’t a big enough issue to warrant taking any frames apart. A theme has emerged. IContinue reading “A Few More for the Gallery”

Launching a Novel

After a while, it was sort of funny how little seemed to work. From erratic e-book formatting to low toner levels on the first batch of printed copies, a licensing dispute and the title getting attributed to a different Colin Turner, there were so many complications that I had to laugh at the latest. Admittedly,Continue reading “Launching a Novel”

Posterity

While connecting the communities of Gold Hill and Eagle Point, Oregon, State Route 234 passes through Sams Valley (the basin was named after Chief Sam of the Rogue River Tribe). Impressive views of Upper and Lower Table Rock dominate the nearby horizon. Turn North from the modern highway, however, and the weathered remains of theContinue reading “Posterity”

Memorial Garden

In 1992, when I was a college senior, the internet hadn’t even crested my conceptual horizon. I could have had no idea that, almost three decades later, I would be an accidental blogger (I only joined WordPress to get a website). Back then, as a twenty-two-year-old art student, I had created a final photography projectContinue reading “Memorial Garden”

Precedent

For two weeks now, I haven’t completed a drawing. To keep from wasting illustration board (it isn’t cheap), I had to erase a couple of false starts. Maintaining a positive attitude, along with learning to cope with my compromised dexterity, is a challenge. A larger project would help me stay focused. The last few wereContinue reading “Precedent”

Words About Images

I still keep a few announcements in a cigar box in our office. They remind me of the last time that I had fully committed to having a gallery show. The paintings were almost abstract although with a depth that suggested fantastical landscapes. What bothered me at the opening reception was how many people wantedContinue reading “Words About Images”

Gold Hill House

Last week, Google Maps had worked. Why not use “Street View”, I had thought, to go on a virtual road trip and draw what I saw? Although it was a decent idea, the details were vague. As it turns out, a closer look means relying on other material. A specific style of architecture, Queen Anne,Continue reading “Gold Hill House”

Street View

I’m exploring a sloppier style. Some results are better. Some are worse. I did try a new idea, though. It involved taking a virtual road trip by way of Google Maps. I can use “Street View” wherever I decide to go, look around, stop and draw what I want. Travel is rare these days soContinue reading “Street View”