Vanessa Turner

Vanessa Turner is described as a multi-passionate multi-careerist. She is an artist, creativity coach and engineer.

Vanessa is a self-taught artist living and working on the beautiful island of Bermuda and primarily works in charcoal and pastel. She has been exhibiting professionally for a number of years and is the recipient of numerous awards. Her work is published internationally, and she is represented in many private collections around the globe. Vanessa’s latest solo exhibitions include ‘Roots to Royalty in 2018 and ‘Commonplace Beauty in 2015 which each received rave reviews.

Her painting techniques stem from trial and error. So, over the years she has developed her own techniques which primarily encompass bits and pieces from the many approaches she has learned over time. Vanessa does not follow any particular school of thought and prefers to use painting techniques that are reliable yet fun.

Vanessa takes care to use top of the line archival materials for her art and framing to ensure her work lasts for generations to come.

ARTIST STATEMENT

I am a self-taught charcoal and pastel artist living and working on the beautiful island of Bermuda.

I create art that explores the harmony found between the Afro-Caribbean culture and Mother Nature. Through visual storytelling, and by remaining highly sensitive to the subtleties of light and shadow, I create dramatic nuances that highlight this harmony.

I believe we all have an inherent connection to nature. There is a passionate love for life and all that is alive. The way that we feel when we go outside, is more than a simple case of happiness in the face of beauty. There is something about the natural world that feeds our deepest selves and nurtures us from the inside out. 

No matter how much we may now consider ourselves distinctly separated from our environment, we and Mother Nature are one. The more we embody this concept, the greater our synergy with life. The meaning we make of our lives – what we call our culture, grew from Mother Nature’s soil. Thus, we will be all the more richer from our understanding of our roots.

My work is created to nurture you, heal you, and evolve your space by drawing a correlation between culture and Mother Nature so that you may bring the beauty of outdoors indoors.

ARTIST CV

2020

• Selected Solo & Group Exhibitions
• Vanishing Boundaries Exhibition – Akwaaba Gallery Newark, New Jersey (2020)
• Emancipation Exhibition – The Bermuda Society of Arts (2020)
• ‘Live Love Life’ Anti Violence Exhibition – The Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art (2020)

2019

• Charman Prize Exhibition – The Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art (2019)
• Member’s Fall Show – The Bermuda Society of Arts (2019)
• Pink – The Bermuda Arts Centre Dockyard (2019)

2018

• Solo Exhibition: Rots to Royalty – The Bermuda Society of Arts (2018)
• Member’s Spring Show – The Bermuda Society of Arts (2018)
• Sea & Sky – The Bermuda Arts Centre Dockyard (2018)

2017

• Small Works Show – The Bermuda Arts Center Dockyard (2017)

2015

• Tranquility – The Bermuda Arts Centre Dockyard (2015)
• Purple – The Bermuda Arts Centre Dockyard (2015)
• Atlantic Garden – The Bermuda Society of Arts (2015)

2014

• Custom Made (Frameworks Bermuda) – The Bermuda Society of Arts (2014)
• Member’s Summer Show – The Bermuda Society of Arts (2014)
• Slow Down Look Around – The Bermuda Arts Center at Dockyard (2014)

2013

• Small Works Holiday Show – The Bermuda Arts Center at Dockyard (2013)
• Solo Exhibition: Commonplace Beauty – The Bermuda Society of Arts (2013)
• Annual Drawing & Painting Competition (Juried) – The Bermuda Arts Center at Dockyard (2013) 
• Member’s Winter Show – The Bermuda Arts Center at Dockyard (2013)

2012

• Small Works Show – The Bermuda Arts Center (2012)
• Wet Exhibition – The Bermuda Arts Center (2012)
• Member’s Fall Show – The Bermuda Society of Arts (2012)
• Summer Lovin (Select Artists Collaboration) – Common Ground Cafe (2012)
• Member’s Spring Show – The Bermuda Society of Arts (2012)

2011

• Just Pastels XI – The Bermuda Arts Center at Dockyard (2011)
• Charman Prize (Juried) – The Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art (2011)
• Member’s Spring Show – The Bermuda Society of Arts (2011)

2010

• Member’s Winter Show – The Bermuda Society of Arts (2010)
• Just Pastels X – The Bermuda Arts Center at Dockyard (2010) 

2006

• The Bacardi Biennial – The Bermuda National Gallery (2006)

Awards, Recognition & Special Engagements

• 2019 Outstanding Contribution to the Arts – The Government of Bermuda, Dept. of Education
• 2018 Artist Talk – The Bermuda College, Lifelong Learning Program
• 2013 Honourable Mention – Bermuda Arts Center, Annual Drawing & Painting Competition

Publications & Features

• A Portrait Drawing of “Indomitable Will”,  Cherie Haas, Online Editor, January 8, 2015
• Art Journey Portraits and Figures, Edited by Rachel Rubin Wolf, ISBN 1440336997

Professional Development

• Building the Coaching Relationship with Creative Clients (R. Fortier), 2019
• Business Planning and Success Strategies for Creativity Coaches (S. Good), 2019
• Introduction to Creativity Coaching (Dr. E. Maisel), 2019
• Advanced Creativity Coaching (Dr. E. Maisel), 2019
• New Masters Academy, 2017
• International Association of Pastel Societies Biennial Convention (Workshops & Demos), 2017
• International Association of Pastel Societies Biennial Convention (Workshops & Demos), 2013
• The Sharon Wilson School of Art, 2010 – 2012

Professional Affiliations

• Creativity Coaching Association
• Bermuda Society of Arts
• The Bermuda Arts Centre at Dockyard
• The Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art
• The Pastel Society of America