an abstract expressionist composition by American artist Theodore "Ted" Roy Turner (1922-2002), beach / boardwalk scene including figures near a van / SUV with open rear hatch / window, oil on board, United States. 20th century
stamped in ink twice verso
This painting is by Theodore (Ted) Roy Turner (1922-2002) purchased initially from the estate by Ken Farmer Auctions.
MEASUREMENTS:
32" H x 42" W x 1" D frame
29.5" H x 39.5" W image
Ted Turner taught art at the University of Virginia and later maintained two studios in Charlottesville after his retirement. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts organized a traveling exhibition of Turner's work in 2013 entitled Virginia Vistas. Ted graduated from the Virginia Professional Institute (College of William and Mary) with a B.F.A. in 1943. He then served in the U.S. Navy for three years. He went to earn his M.A. in Art History at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. Upon graduation, he began his teaching career at Dartmouth in Hanover, New Hampshire, where he taught medieval architecture. In 1952 he moved to Charlottesville, Va., where he taught printmaking, watercolors, sculpture, art history and photography at the University of Virginia. He taught there for 33 years until his retirement in 1985. Devoted to his painting, his work was shown in exhibitions which included: (Group and One Man) Virginia Museum, Chrysler Museum; Roanoke Museum of Fine Arts; Montgomery Museum; Babcock Gallery, New York; New York University; William and Mary College; Brooklyn Museum; Philadelphia Print Club; Peridot Gallery, New York; Dyansen Gallery, New York; and University of Virginia. Ted was also represented in public collections such as the Virginia Museum, University of Virginia, Washington and Lee University, Brown University, Dartmouth College, Roanoke Museum, Mary Baldwin College, Mississippi Art Association, Hollins College, New York Public Library, Federal Reserve Bank in Richmond and the James Center in Richmond. His many awards included a Certificate of Distinction in Watercolor at the Virginia Museum in 1959 and first prize in watercolor and an award for his work in oil at the Chrysler Museum in 1962 and 1966 respectively. In 1955 and 1956 he earned watercolor awards at Virginia Intermont College and a Purchase Award at the National Watercolor Exhibition, Mississippi Art Association in 1961. In 1982 he was awarded a Purchase Award at the American Academy of Arts and Letters in New York. He won a Painting Award in York, Pennsylvania in 1990 and again in 1997 at York he won an Award of Excellence for his acrylic. In 1999 at Hampton Bay Days he was awarded for his painting in oil. Ted once said, "Some people say artists paint for a lack of something vital in their lives. I paint because I am happiest when I am painting. I can’t think of anything else to do that is nearly as interesting. That is really what its all about."
Theodore (Ted) Turner was a prolific artist who served as a professor of art at the University of Virginia and Dartmouth College. He studied art in Virginia at Richmond Professional Institute (now Virginia Commonwealth University) and in New York City, where he received an MFA from New York University. By the end of his life, Turner had become a fixture in Charlottesville: he was a professor at the UVA, had a studio in the popular Belmont neighborhood, and painted scenes from his surrounding community.
Highly expressive and typically colorful, Turner’s paintings ranged from soft impressionistic seascapes to impasto abstracts. He utilized an impressive variety of mediums including watercolor, acrylic, block print, found object, and oil. Turner utilized color in unique and untraditional ways that served to enhance some of his more unexpected subject matter. His oeuvre includes a vast variety of subject matter including landscapes, seascapes, nudes, colorful abstracts, portraits, and urban scenes. The frantic and heavy brushstrokes as well as, in his later work, the bawdy words he chose to include in his paintings seem to show us a glimpse of the artist’s personality.
Several years ago, Ken acquired the residual artwork from the heirs of Ted and Sally Turner, which included several hundred works of art. The collection includes not only Ted’s work, but also his wife Sally’s including the mauve portrait of a couple and mountain landscape shown below. Her pieces include numerous portraits, all of which possess great character and display her skill as an artist. Since acquiring the collection, Ken has been actively working to share the collection with collectors and art lovers alike.
from Ted Turner: A Local Artist, March 6, 2018 from the Ken Farmer website
