Check Out Angélica Turner’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Angélica Turner.

Hi Angélica, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Since I was young, I’ve felt immense enjoyment in creating art. I’ve always loved drawing and painting. That’s why I went to art school in Chile, where instead of attending college, you pursue a specific career right after high school. I knew nothing about contemporary art at the time. I was raised in a conservative context, and it took me some time to break out of that bubble. After art school, I studied to become an art teacher and was one for five years. Throughout this time, I never gave up my art practice, even though I mostly kept it for myself. I enjoyed teaching high schoolers, but it drained me and left me longing for what my art career could be. Six years ago, I moved with my husband to San Francisco and decided that while he studied, I would find a way to build my path as an artist. It has been a period of slow but consistent growth and learning. My mantra has been to ‘move out of my comfort zone,’ both in my studio practice and in the business side of being an artist. Living in San Francisco has exposed me to the most incredible artists and mentors. Working in this context has encouraged me to question myself, think about my own identity as woman, Latina, and immigrant, and express that through my own visual language. Pregnancy and becoming a mother reshaped the way and speed at which I move forward. I currently find myself balancing my professional and personal life, with my paintings always in the back of my mind, excited to keep developing new projects and finding new opportunities along the way. 

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Definitely not! I think I started this artistic journey with a lot of intentions but, at the same time being very naive. Ignorance wasn’t bliss at all, as I really needed the know-how of making a career out of my art. I needed to learn skills that required a big investment of time, research, and making mistakes, and that are absolutely necessary to grow as an artist (which is a form of small business). Realizing once and again how much more there is to understand can easily make you fall into an impostor syndrome, feeling you are not enough, your work is bad, you are ridiculous. I’ve needed to learn to be humble, recognize my weaknesses as spaces for improvement, and just do the work. Get better every day. It also took me time to realize the importance of beating insecurities and social anxiety, making a bigger effort to build strong and true connections as they break the isolation that can exist in an artistic practice. I still have so much to accomplish, but now I think the only way to grow is to continue working and being patient, scaring away the demons that tell you that you are wasting your time. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m primarily a painter, though I also enjoy making collages and dream of eventually creating sculptures. My paintings are these expressive, colorful spaces filled with abstract and representational forms. I often depict overscaled organic elements like flowers or ferns, which help me address and symbolize personal experiences. My painting method is very emotional. I make gestures and brushstrokes, welcoming my body and energy to lead the way intuitively. When I moved to the US and became an immigrant for the first time, I started navigating components of loss, in a sense of longing for what I couldn’t have, being away from most of my family and living a life designed in a way that was absolutely new for me. All these impacted on my world vision and what I wanted to communicate in my work. Then, when I went through fertility treatments and a tragic miscarriage, grief became a recurrent theme in most of my work. I like to create connections between nature and emotions, resembling a healing journey that results in questions and answers about my own identity. I’m inspired by the beauty of the accidental abstractions that arise from the disposable color palettes I use in my process. I use them as a foundation to inform my color decisions and as material for new works in other mediums. It always motivates me to see the effect my paintings have on some viewers. They can’t really explain with words what the painting evokes in them, but their eyes brighten. They feel seen and understood by the painting. That’s my mojo. Being able to transmit something personal is so intense and powerful on the canvas that it evolves when crossing the eyes of a person; it becomes collective. 

What matters most to you?
Authenticity. In the context of my artwork, I work hard to create pieces that are authentic and true to myself. When I see all these amazing artists producing incredible things, it’s easy to get lost in comparison and try to imitate moves that will never feel natural for oneself. I think being authentic requires a big load of vulnerability, and I’m all for it. I constantly have to remember to trust in my own process and let time do its work. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.angelicaturnerartist.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angelicaturner_/?hl=es