Artwork copyright William Turner. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

Artwork copyright William Turner. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

Pyramid, 1989

William Turner
(American, born 1940, died 2021)

Location: Skagit Valley College - Whidbey Island, Oak Harbor

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Executed in an energetic and gestural abstract style, William Turner's painting Pyramid explores form and color relationships. Turner's work combines elements of pure abstraction and figurative realism, inspired by nature.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Skagit Valley College.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Northwest artist William Turner (1940-2021) created paintings that investigate color and form, with a rich color palette and spontaneous and imagined forms. He painted to jazz music and his work demonstrates rhythm, energy, improvisation, and a resolution of opposites. He noted, "My paintings are intended to be simultaneously stimulating and contemplative."

Turner grew up in Tacoma, Western Washington. He studied at Washington State University and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma in 1965 while also working the night shift at a paper mill. He was drafted into the Vietnam War, enrolled in the Naval Officer Candidate School, and served from 1965-1968. After his discharge, he traveled and hitch-hiked through Europe, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Uganda, and Tanzania and was deeply affected by Africa’s rich cultures, landscapes, and the fragility of life on the Serengeti. Turner earned his Master of Arts degree from the University of Washington in 1973. He taught art at Pratt Fine Arts Center in Seattle and Tacoma Community College. His paintings are in the collections of the Museum of Northwest Art (MONA) in La Conner, Nordstrom Corporation, Tacoma Art Museum, and more.