Richard Turner (29 December 1940 – 11 January 2013), also known as Turneramon, was a British artist and poet.

Life and work

Richard Turner was born in

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

, England and was educated at Bemrose Grammar School, before moving to study at the School of Navigation in

Warsash Warsash is a village in southern Hampshire, England, situated at the mouth of the River Hamble, west of the area known as Locks Heath and south of Sarisbury. Boating plays an important part in the village's economy, and the village has a sail ...

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

. In 1958, he went on to join the Merchant Navy, as a Navigation Cadet Officer, sailing with

Ellerman Lines Ellerman Lines was a UK cargo and passenger shipping company that operated from the late nineteenth century and into the twentieth century. It was founded in the late 19th century, and continued to expand by acquiring smaller shipping lines u ...

. In 1960, he decided on a career change, and enrolled at the Derby College of Art. Turner won the J. Andrew Lloyd scholarship for Landscape, enabling him to study at the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public university, public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City, London, White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design uni ...

in London, from 1963. There, he was tutored by Carol Weight and Sir Peter Blake. He graduated in 1966 with an Associate of the Royal College of Art Degree, as well as prizes in Life Drawing, Life Painting, and Landscape Painting. For the next two years, Turner was a lecturer at the

Guildford School of Art Guildford School of Art was formed in 1856 as Guildford Working Men's Institution and was one of several schools of art run by Surrey County Council. After several mergers with tertiary art institutions it became part of the University for th ...

; working on environmental installation projects with Australian artist Tony Underhill. He was introduced to etching by Peter Olley and

Norman Ackroyd Norman Ackroyd (26 March 1938 – 16 September 2024) was an English visual artist known primarily for his etchings and work with aquatint. He lived and was based in Bermondsey, London. Background Ackroyd was born on 26 March 1938 in Leeds, Yo ...

. In 1968, he was employed as an

epigraphic Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...

artist and photographer by the Oriental Institute of the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

. For five years, he was based at Chicago House in

Luxor Luxor is a city in Upper Egypt. Luxor had a population of 263,109 in 2020, with an area of approximately and is the capital of the Luxor Governorate. It is among the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited c ...

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

; making facsimile drawings of the

relief Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...

s on the walls of the

Temple of Khonsu The Temple of Khonsu is an ancient Egyptian temple. It is located within the large Precinct of Amun-Re at Karnak, in Luxor, Egypt. The edifice is an example of an almost complete New Kingdom of Egypt, New Kingdom Egyptian temple, temple, and was o ...

Karnak The Karnak Temple Complex, commonly known as Karnak (), comprises a vast mix of temples, pylons, chapels, and other buildings near Luxor, Egypt. Construction at the complex began during the reign of Senusret I (reigned 1971–1926 BC) in the ...

and Medenet Habu, adjacent to the

Valley of the Queens The Valley of the Queens is a site in Egypt, in which queens, princes, princesses, and other high-ranking officials were buried from roughly 1560 BC to 1130 BC. Pharaohs were buried in the Valley of the Kings. The Valley of the Queens was known an ...

. In 1973, Turner returned to England, lecturing at

Salisbury College of Art Salisbury ( , ) is a cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in ...

for three years, before being re-employed in Egypt by the University of Chicago, for a further four years. During this time he made full scale tracings of all columns in

hypostyle In architecture, a hypostyle () hall has a roof which is supported by columns. Etymology The term ''hypostyle'' comes from the ancient Greek ὑπόστυλος ''hypóstȳlos'' meaning "under columns" (where ὑπό ''hypó'' means below or und ...

hall of

Luxor Temple The Luxor Temple () is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the Nile River in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes (Egypt), Thebes) and was constructed approximately 1400 BCE. In the Egyptian language it was ...

. In 1980 he moved to the USA; built a split-level chalet style house in

Big Bear Big Bear, also known as (; – 17 January 1888), was a powerful and popular Cree chief who played many pivotal roles in Canadian history. He was appointed to chief of his band at the age of 40 upon the death of his father, Black Powder, u ...

, California, and ran his own gallery, named Minnelusa Gallery, on the shores of

Big Bear Lake Big Bear Lake is a reservoir in the Western United States, western United States, located in the San Bernardino Mountains in San Bernardino County, California, San Bernardino County, California. It is a snow and rain-fed lake, having no other m ...

. He also worked as a graphic designer with Treasure Chest Advertising, based in Los Angeles. Four years later, Turner returned to the United Kingdom, and briefly lived in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

, before moving south, to become a teacher at

Vandyke Upper School Vandyke Upper School and Community College is an academy school and sixth form in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, England. As of 2022, there are approximately 1500 students in both the sixth form at Vandyke, and compulsory education. History ...

Leighton Buzzard Leighton Buzzard ( ) is a market town in Bedfordshire, England, in the southwest of the county and close to the Buckinghamshire border. It lies between Aylesbury, Tring, Luton/ Dunstable and Milton Keynes, near the Chiltern Hills. It is nor ...

, for five years. He returned to Scotland in 1989, and ran an "art holiday" home business from Park House in

Kirkcudbright Kirkcudbright ( ; ) is a town at the mouth of the River Dee, Galloway, River Dee in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, southwest of Castle Douglas and Dalbeattie. A former royal burgh, it is the traditional county town of Kirkcudbrightshire. His ...

, as well as lecturing part-time in various colleges and schools. In 1993, Turner met Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

and

Prince Philip Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 19219 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from h ...

, at the opening of Tolbooth Art Centre in Kirkcudbright. Prince Philip commented on Turneramon's work saying it looked "refreshingly different".

Style and influences

Richard Turner's work is mainly figurative painting, including some nudity, within Arcadian landscape settings similar to the compositions in

renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

and mannerist art. Turneramon's first stay in Egypt had a significant effect on his painting style and content. His change from hard edge abstraction to synthetic renaissance is evident in his 5×7 ft. painting, ''The Resurrection of Tutankhamen'', leading to his work being labelled post modernist.

Publications and notable works

* 1972 – Commissioned Mural for The Mummy Room in the

British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

, together with fellow epigraphic artist, Reg Coleman. * 1978 – The Resurrection of Tutankhamen: Influenced by English scholar and mystic Om Seti.

Publications

* Ka Ka Ranish and the Twins of Time * The Twins of Time and the Golden Grotto * The Twins of Time and the Bridge of Time * The Twins of Time and the Seven Seas of Time * The Sacred Eyes of Time (#1 Trilogy of Nethertime) * The Obelisk of Time (#2 Trilogy of Nethertime) * The Twins of Time (#3 Trilogy of Nethertime) * Arcadian Sunset (a collection of Turneramon's paintings and poetry)

Exhibitions

Group shows

* 1962 "Artists of Promise", Midland Group Gallery,

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

, UK * 1963 "Artists working in London",

Imperial College Imperial College London, also known as Imperial, is a public research university in London, England. Its history began with Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who envisioned a cultural district in South Kensington that included museums ...

, London, UK * 1964 "R.C.A. Artists University College", London, UK * 1965 "Young Contemporaries", London, UK * 1965 Arts Council Travelling Exhibition * 1966 "Young Contemporaries", London, UK * 1966 Arts Council Travelling Exhibition * 1967 "Summer Exhibition",

Piccadilly Gallery The Piccadilly Gallery was a London-based art gallery that operated from 1953 until 2007. The gallery was founded in 1953 as the Pilkington Gallery by art dealer Godfrey Pilkington and his wife, Eve. Christabel Briggs joined as a partner in 19 ...

, London, UK * 1967 "Staff of Guilford School of Art", Battersea College of Technology * 1968 "Four Painters", Reid Gallery,

Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, England, around south-west of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The nam ...

, UK * 1968 Bradford Biennale * 1968 Ashbarn Gallery,

Stroud Stroud is a market town and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It is the main town in Stroud District. The town's population was 13,500 in 2021. Sited below the western escarpment of the Cotswold Hills, at the meeting point of the ...

* 1970 L’atelier Du Caire, Cairo * 1975 "Fresh Fields and Pastures New", Young Gallery,

Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...

* 1976 Saint Edmond's Art Centre, Salisbury * 1977 Annely Juda Fine Art * 1980 Files Gallery, Big Bear, CA. USA * 1981 Bear Valley Artists' Gallery, Big Bear, CA. USA * 1981 Calico Art's Fair, Calico Ghost Town, CA. USA * 1982 Edward Dean Museum, Cherry Valley, CA. USA * 1982 Patrick's Gallery, San Francisco, CA. USA * 1982 Files Gallery, Big Bear, CA. U.S.A * 1982 Shambles Gallery, Lake Havasu, AR. USA * 1982 Battenberg Gallery, Big Bear, CA. USA * 1983 Lake Arrowhead Country Club, CA. USA * 1983 San Bernardino Country Museum, CA. USA * 1984 Minnilusa Gallery, CA. USA * 1986 Bedford College Touring Exhibition to Greece and Mediterranean * 1995 High Street Gallery, Kirkcudbright, Scotland * 2002 Beaumont Hall Studios, Buckinghamshire, UK * 2002 Van Wedenburgh, Beverly Hills, USA (Exhibition still in place) * 2004 "Skin Two" Barbican Centre London, UK * 2006 War Rooms, Whitehall, London, UK

Solo shows

* 1967 Totem One Gallery, Manchester, UK * 1970 L'Atelier Du Caire, Cairo, Egypt * 1971 Safar Khan Gallery, Zamelek, Cairo, Egypt * 1972 Gallery Tabac, Paris, France * 1972 Safar Khan Gallery, Zamelek, Cairo, Egypt * 1973 Safar Khan Gallery, Zamelek, Cairo, Egypt * 1974 Derby Art Gallery, Derbyshire, UK * 1974 Saint Edmond's Art Centre, Salisbury, UK * 1975 International Art Centre, London, UK * 1975 Pentagon Gallery,

Stoke on Trent Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England. It has an estimated population of 259,965 as of 2022, making it the largest settlement in Staffordshire and one of the largest cities of ...

, Staffordshire, UK * 1976 Banbury College of Art, Banbury, UK * 1976 International Art Centre, London, UK * 1976 Saint Edmond's Art Centre, Salisbury, UK * 1977 Safar Khan Gallery, Zamalek, Cairo, Egypt * 1977 "Oriental Ladies in Classical Landscapes", St. Edmunds Art Centre, Salisbury, UK * 1978 Etap Hotel, Luxor, Egypt * 1978 Gallery El Nil, Cairo, Egypt * 1979 Gallery El Nil, Cairo, Egypt * 1980 359 Gallery, Nottingham, UK * 1980 Donington Manor, Leicestershire, UK * 1981 Patricks Gallery, San Francisco, CA. USA * 1981 Lake Arrowhead Country Club, San Bernardino, California, USA * 1982 Minnilusa Gallery, CA. USA * 1983 San Bernardino Country Museum, CA. USA * 1983 The Ebell of Los Angeles, USA * 1983 The Nelson Rockefeller Collection,

Palm Springs Palm Springs (Cahuilla language, Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Rivers ...

, CA. USA * 1984 The Ebell of Los Angeles, USA * 1984 San Bernardino County Museum,

San Bernardino San Bernardino ( ) is a city in and the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 census, making it the List of ...

, California, USAJacobs, Tom. "Paintings tell tales of magic", ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'', San Bernardino, 15 April 1984. * 1993 Tolbooth Art Centre, Kirkcudbright, Scotland (opened by H.R.H. The Queen)

References

External links

Turneramon website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Turner, Richard 1940 births 2013 deaths Place of death missing Artists from Derby People educated at Bemrose School Alumni of the Royal College of Art University of Chicago staff Academics of the University for the Creative Arts 20th-century English painters English male painters 21st-century English painters English male poets 20th-century English poets Associates of the Royal College of Art 20th-century English male writers 20th-century English male artists 21st-century English male artists