By
Tina Turner
Piece description from the artist
This painting has a story behind it. I did this for a distant family member of mine, Wanda, and her husband, Carl. They had just lost their beloved cat, George, to whom they were very attached. Not remembering that I was an artist, they hired another artist to do a portrait of George. When the piece was delivered, Wanda was extremely disappointed in the quality of work. She was telling my mother about this, and my mother suggested I take a stab at it. She reluctantly agreed. Wanda was a little worried they wouldn't like it since they were so picky and didn't want to hurt my feelings (they had never seen any of my work before). A few weeks later, my parents delivered the finished piece so I never saw them see it. My father described their reaction to the painting as very emotional – bringing tears to their eyes. They absolutely loved it, framed it, and hung it in a prominent place in their home. I was absolutely thrilled and honored to be the one to recapture George and bring him back to life for them – at least in a sense…
Tina’s very first work of art was an overweight "stick" man sporting a round belly, squiggly hair, all the facial features, two protruding ears, and hands with the added detail of fingers. She was 2 years old. The kindergarten teacher present that day was amazed and swore that she rarely ever found this kind of talent in her 5-year-old students. Thus, began Tina’s life as an artist.
When she was 10, she began attending private art lessons which covered a variety of media including charcoal, pastels, and oil painting. Her first oil painting was a sepia colored mountain and lake scene. The skill shown in the work surprised both her teacher and her parents. The painting still adorns her parents’ wall today.
In junior high, she joined the school art club where she designed yearbook covers, painted mural backdrops, and created parade costumes among many other things. When she went to college, she majored in Fine Art. She took a wide variety of classes including photography, sculpture, acrylic painting, art history, and graphic design. However, her main focus was in oil painting.
Today, Tina strives to bring out the soul, spirit, and beauty of the animal and the scene. Her paintings start off with a neutral colored acrylic under-painting. Then she applies oil glazes to add color and life. She then paints lean oil directly into the glazes to bring forth highlights, deepen shadows, and add more color. Her goal is to bring the animal or scenery back to life on the canvas and for the onlooker to see the vibrancy of another dimension.
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