Huntsville, Alabama is the home of the U.S Space and Rocket Center, a celebration of the achievements of rocket science, technology, and humankind's eternal drive to reach for the stars. There is another, less known, celebration of a similar drive involving rockets, fireworks, and pyrotechnics (legal or otherwise) of every description. This takes place in southern communities on any given holiday, the celebration of which requires smoke, explosions, risk of bodily harm, and a Bic lighter.
My latest painting, which I have entitled "The Alabama Space and Rocket Center" depicts such an event taking place at a community gathering spot on a typical 4th of July and it needs no further explanation. I am dedicating it to my good friend River who's passion for fireworks is as great as that of any rocket scientist at an interstellar space launch.
John Turner
"Alabama Space and Rocket Center"
2021
Pigment ink print on archival paper printed to order
"18" x "24"
Shipping cost: $22.00
Artist + John Turner
Follow this artistMy adventure in art began on Jackson Square. The French Quarter in 1970 was a world of its own, and I wanted to be a part of it. A recent college graduate with a major in Zoology, a minor in English Literature, and no real interest in pursuing either, I had wandered to New Orleans and discovered that people were selling artwork around the fence in front of St. Louis Cathedral. I had always liked to draw and paint, so I purchased a permit, copied some postcards with pen and ink, and headed to the square. My life was changed!
Fifteen years passed. I made many life-long friends, had great teachers, and learned and lived and shared an invaluable experience with this unique culture. I returned to school at the University of Memphis, this time in an area more fitting to my natural inclination, and earned an MFA in Studio Art. I attained a professorship at the University of North Alabama, taught 27 years, retired, and returned to New Orleans in 2017 with my wife and two Pug dogs.
My concept of Art is the same now as it was in those early days in the French Quarter. It is all about living. I told my students that they were the works of Art. Listen, study, learn to see. Refine your artwork each day that you are blessed with life. My work is a history of every moment that I have lived until the point that I created it. Each piece, whether a city scene, a figurative work, or my take on life, brings with it all that I have learned of design, composition, content, and observing and interacting with the world around me.
I am a New Orleans artist and live and work in the East Carrollton neighborhood.
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