RENOWNED Newcastle artist John Turier began his adult life as a plumber, but by the time he was in his early 30s he was yearning for something else.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
“I was a plumber and a musician and I got to the point where I thought, ‘I don’t want to do this anymore,’” he said. “I was a late bloomer.”
He enrolled in a bachelor of visual arts at the University of Newcastle, on a part-time basis. Within a month he had quit plumbing and was enrolled full-time.
Sculpture came naturally to him, the challenge was to engage with painting.
“I was torn. I was familiar with materials. With my trade background, I knew tools and how to put things together easily,” he said.
“The real challenge for me was to engage in painting. Painting is like this beautiful intermediary thing between music and sculpture, in a strange way.
“It’s sensuous, and the way colours come together is similar to the way lyrics and music fit together.
“It was a hard one to understand in terms of subject, I wanted to get to abstraction from conceptual work.
“It was like a leap to get a handle on abstraction.”
His work reflects an initial dilemma between painting and sculpture.
“I didn’t know if I wanted to be a painter or a sculptor,” he said.
“I thought bugger it I will be both. I didn’t want to be boxed by what I had to be … I think it’s worked really well.”
Turier’s works are varied and distinctive but unified by an exploration of materials and techniques.
“I’ve had this challenge, each new show takes me somewhere else,” Turier said.
“I will open up a new window of possibility.
“Learning a new skill and then see if I can get on top of that skill and then manifesting a body of work based on that skill.
“It’s a really interesting ride each time.”
Turier will exhibit a body of work at Art Systems Wickham, titled Matchbox Horse.
The exhibition launches on July 7, with the official opening on the same day at 6pm, and runs until July 23.
Arts Systems Wickham is located at 40 Annie Street, Wickham.