Same Old, Same Old

You know, it’s just the same old, same old over and over again.

A few weeks ago I layered up in my winter clothes, loaded the car with my painting gear, and started backing down the driveway.

I wasn’t feeling particularly inspired to go out into the wild wild west and scribble some paint on a canvas. You know, the same old same old.

Okay, I gotta say that’s a pretty cool “same old same old” to have, but still, before long you start to feel a bit of a rut forming around your ankles.

Without much hesitation, I pulled the car back up to the house, unloaded my gear, and set up in the (garage) studio.

Studio painting is something that I honestly don’t do too often. Of course, it’s not unusual for me to fix something in the studio that’s bothering me on a painting that I’d done on-location, or sometimes even finish off paintings that I’d had every intention of taking back outside.

But just strictly studio painting, start to finish…..it’s just not something that excites me.

One side of my brain says, “it’s not exciting. don’t do it.”

The other side says, “it’s not exciting. do it anyways.”

Every year I get a handful of commissions that have to be done from photos, and I approach them with a very matter of fact mindset. I tell myself that I’m getting to make a painting that will be very special to someone, and it must be done from photos in the studio. There’s just no way around it, and that’s perfectly okay. By the end of the commission, every single one of them, as I’m packing up my plein air gear and headed outside, I say to myself, “man, I should really paint in the studio more often”.

For me, painting on-location is the ultimate. Cloudy or sunny, hot or cold, I’m all in and loving it. There’s rarely a moment that I feel more complete and fully satisfied than after a good painting session outdoors. (except of course when I’m spending time with my wife and two kids 😅 ) (and oh yeah, speaking of family, we’re expecting another little Vinson this summer!!🤰)

Anyways, plein air painting has its many benefits, but one thing that it doesn’t often allow for is….slowing down and thinking.

No, no, don’t worry, I’m not gearing up to completely transform who I am as an artist. The quick, intuitive and direct approach to painting is what I absolutely love. But I’m certainly feeling the need to push myself in the studio a bit more often. That time spent in a different environment is allowing me to stretch new muscles, and be even more prepared for the challenges that the wonderful outdoors presents.

It’s so easy to fall into a rut, and a rut has got to be one of the many deaths of creativity.

So I’m putting my best effort forward to side step this rut, and be on the lookout for the next one.

Recent Studio Painting

About Me

Growing up in a small town in Texas, I wasn’t exposed to the world of fine art until college, where an interest in photography led me to a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2011. After college I continued developing as an artist with a two year apprenticeship with an oil painter in Boise, Idaho. Soon after studying I fell in love with plein air painting and have now painted from coast to coast in the US and have made a few international excursions as well. My work can be found in private collections across the country as well as in Canada and Europe. My family and I now live and work out of the beautiful Bitterroot Valley in Montana.

PAINTING JUST TO PAINT

If you are an artist, especially a painter, you’ve likely heard this or something very similar.

“It takes miles of canvas to learn to paint”

And I completely agree. Learning to paint can be absolutely dreadful. It can physically hurt to be so bad at something that others make look easy. And to make it worse, no book, youtube video, or any amount of money can magically solve the mystery of painting.

You know, those days where it’s much more fun to buy art supplies than to actually use them...if you know, you know, lol

Of course, a good instructor and learning from others can be necessary, but the most important thing is for you to paint. To paint, paint, paint, paint, paint. And I don’t mean dozens, I mean hundreds.

After I finally had a decent handle of the basics, I completely fell in love with working on location. I already loved being outside, and sense I was starting to actually kind of enjoy painting, it was a perfect match.

When plein air painting, you find out quickly that you can spend all day searching for the right composition in the landscape, only to lose the sunlight and run out of time. I learned to work quickly, and not waste too much time searching for the ideal scene to paint.

This is a great way to learn, and to work through those necessary miles of canvas that everyone needs to get through. Not being picky, and just painting.

But at some point, a shift naturally begins to take place. You begin to desire more than “just getting through lots of paintings”. You begin to want to say something more in your work, not vocally, but visually. You want to pursue something more than “just another painting”.

This shift can be difficult.

After art school, and then a few years studying with an oil painter, and then a handful of more years painting, I took the leap and pursued painting full time.

I’m absolutely spoiled and blessed to get to spend my time scrubbing a brush around on a canvas, and make money doing it. It’s nuts…

And while over the past several years I’ve been becoming much more intentional with my paintings, I can still feel that tendency arise, telling me to “just get another one done”.

BUT NO, DANGIT! I DON’T WANT JUST ANOTHER PAINTING!!!!

Looking back five years from now, I’ve made incredible progress, and in five more years I want to say the same thing. I know one thing for sure, it won’t come from painting just to paint.

There’s no guide to transitioning from student to professional. And if your experience is anything like mine, you just wing it and see where it takes you. It’s hard for me to turn down an opportunity, and I’ll try just about anything. It’s gotten me to where I am today, closing in on three years painting full time. Spoiled I tell you, spoiled.

But I am far from satisfied and hope that I am just at the beginning of a long and fruitful pursuit of painting. I believe that real growth comes from real intention. It’s hard to accidentally become great at anything. So with this being said, more so than ever, I’m pushing myself to be intentional with the work that I am creating. To (mostly) pass up on the urge to “just paint another'' and lean in to the push for a deeper, more fulfilling understanding of the visual language that I am so fascinated with.

And I’m not looking to leave my mark in history or aiming to be the best of the best, but I do want to pursue being the absolute best that I can possibly be.

The next time you have a chance to visit a museum, while looking at a painting, ask yourself if you think the artist was “just painting to paint”, or were they seeking something higher…

I’m certain they were aiming higher than “just another painting”

Maybe these words mean nothing to you, but it’s what I needed to hear…

I hope you are all doing well in this new year, and are able to find time to pursue those things that linger in your thoughts, asking for more of your time.

Sincerely,

Turner

About Me

Growing up in a small town in Texas, I wasn’t exposed to the world of fine art until college, where an interest in photography led me to a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2011. After college I continued developing as an artist with a two year apprenticeship with an oil painter in Boise, Idaho. Soon after studying I fell in love with plein air painting and have now painted from coast to coast in the US and have made a few international excursions as well. My work can be found in private collections across the county as well as in Canada and Europe. My family and I now live and work out of the beautiful Bitterroot Valley in Montana.

Settling A Love Hate Relationship

Over the past few years there’s been one steady love/hate relationship lingering in my life, and it’s time to settle the matter. 

I need to move forward. 

To grasp the whole scope of the relationship we have to jump back to that warm summer afternoon on the streets of Tokyo in 2006.

As we bounced around the amazing city of Tokyo, I carelessly swung a little silver Canon point and shoot camera from my wrist. Rarely did I snap a picture of anything, that is until we walked through the Tokyo fish market. It wasn’t until I showed my parents photos of the trip that I realized at least 85% of my pictures were of colorful and slimy edible sea creatures. The busy streets of Tokyo couldn’t seem to hold my camera’s interest for very long. 

But as it were, a fellow traveler was snapping shots all over Tokyo with her big fancy DSLR camera. 

Pssh, what a loser I thought. 

Then somehow, likely by the grace of God, I found that fancy camera in my hands.

“Take a few shots,” she said. 

I zoomed in. I zoomed out. I shot cool out-of-focus things. I tilted the camera to the side. I got artsy. 

A few months later I had my very own big fancy DSLR. The Canon XSi with the kit lens, plus the 70-200 f4. I was locked and loaded. 

Soon after this I switched my major and began pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a focus in Photography. 

Photography was king, and art was some distant fog that I was very skeptical of. 

It took it’s sweet time, but just as graduation approached, my horizons began to widen. 

And right here in this transition, was the shift in what had been a blissful relationship. 

Suddenly, my relationship with The Camera got complicated. 

Nine months after graduation I found myself at the beginning of what would be a two year apprenticeship studying with an oil painter, and three years later the two worlds collided when I was hired as photographer and videographer for Plein Air Magazine. (Streamline Publishing: Fine Art Connoisseur, Streamline Art Videos, Plein Air Convention, Figurative Art Convention, etc) 

Another time I’ll talk about the things I learned from such an amazing experience, but this is where the camera made it’s full transition from a creative, art making tool, to a purely utilitarian piece of equipment.

To make a long story much much shorter, at times I was ready to toss The Camera overboard and hail the might paints as the only ruler of creativity. 

But deep in the back of my mind, and from the voices of a few good friends, I knew that having these skills with the camera was a good thing, maybe even a blessing. And not just as a skill that an employer values, but something I could use personally, and even use as a painter. 

Whoaaa, now lines were getting blurry. 

Over the past few years I’ve dabbled in creating videos but have been inconsistent and even reluctant to do more.

All of this to say, I’m ready to fully embrace my skills (and love…) for The Camera, and use it to it’s best potential. 

So Youtube, watch out, I’m coming for you! 

If you’ve enjoyed my past videos, or just watching videos in general, I’d deeply appreciate you subscribing to my Youtube Channel. 

And, what do you know, I have a brand new video up there, just published today!

You can see it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gpEBqpWmk4

Go check it out, subscribe to my channel and leave a comment to let me know what you think!

Dear Camera, I’m sorry for the hostility that I’ve shown you in the past. I hope you’ll forgive me. I love you.

Most Sincerely, 

Turner

Here’s a photo from 2014 at one of Plein Air Magazine’s events where I was attempting to work and play at the same time! Thanks to the wonderful artist, Greg Summer’s for snapping the photo.

About Me

In 2010 I graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Art. In 2011 my wife, Teysha, started graduate school at Boise State University while I undertook a two year oil painting apprenticeship. In May of 2018, we sold everything, quit our jobs, and hit the road! In August of 2019 we settled in the beautiful Bitterroot Valley of Montana.

Welcome to Montana

The past sixteen months has provided some of the wildest days for our little family. We’ve created memories from Texas to Washington and even some in France! We’ve broken down, gotten lost, and learned how to get a deep sleep in a Wal-Mart parking lot, except for when the street cleaner comes by.

The experience alone of selling nearly all of your belongings was a feat to be conquered, which was immediately followed by throwing ourselves onto the road in a vehicle that only lasted seven days.

Though many challenges have come our way, so much more have we been covered and absolutely doused with blessings. We’ve met the kindest of hobos, and sweetest of the wealthy. 

We’ve dedicated our time to creating art work and showing our kids the wonderful beauty that surrounds us.

We are so incredibly thankful for our time vagabonding around the country, but we are even more thankful (and super excited) that we just woke up and found ourselves in a rent house in Montana! 

Yep, we just rented a house in Montana and we are all still a bit in shock.

Not just because of the fact that the kids have their own room, and bathtub, but because the area that we’ve landed in is absolutely, jaw droppingly, beautiful. 

Somehow we scored a house with a back deck that looks across the entire Bitterroot Valley with a nearly 180 degree view. We get to see the sunrise on the impressive Bitterroot mountains, and set on the tree covered Sapphire mountains. The hills behind us are apparently home to trophy elk, and we can get a clear view of the still snow capped, Como Peaks. I’m humbled, grateful, and just plain dumbfounded that we get to live here. 

I’ve been spending my days painting along the Bitterroot River and in the beautiful farmland with roads lined with the largest cottonwood trees you’ll ever see. 

Some days sixteen months can seem like an eternity, and other days it seems like yesterday we were sitting around our kitchen table dreaming about such a wild idea as selling everything we owned.

Now as we settle back down and find a bit more normalcy in our lives, I’m eager and so excited to pursue bigger and more involved projects. Painting 12x16 inch canvases for over a year has been great, but with a two car garage and plenty of storage, the time has come to go big!

We are so thankful and honored for all of you who have followed along with our journey. We are anxious to see what this new chapter holds.

Next week I’ll be publishing my “Welcome to Montana Sale” with all of the paintings I’ve done in the past month, with a few paintings from the Tetons, Idaho, and mainly the wonderful Bitterroot Valley. 

I hope you’ll take a look and find a painting or two for your home! 

Here's a sneak peak at a few of the paintings that will be in the upcoming sale!

Until then, paint on!

Turner

About Me

In 2010 I graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Art. In 2011 my wife, Teysha, started graduate school at Boise State University while I undertook a two year oil painting apprenticeship. In May of 2018, we sold everything, quit our jobs, and hit the road! In August of 2019 we settled in the beautiful Bitterroot Valley of Montana.