Elaine Turnbull (b. 1963) was born and raised in Sunderland, a seaside town in North Eastern England. Her early memories are of the lighthouse at Souter, of storm-waves crashing over sea walls, and of the foghorn at Marsden. She later studied art and textile design at Newcastle and Edinburgh. The ever constant coast and tides remained intergral to her artistry, as it does today.
Turnbull's work draw from a wide range of influences, however: from the Scottish Colourists she first encountered as a student and the joyous simplicity of her own children's artwork to the twentieth-century artistict radition of St. Ives, works from Alfred Wallis, Ben Nicholson, and other central figures of the time.
After moving to Cornwall in 2009, Turnbull's painting developed a particularly strong following. She now works from a studio near Helston, just four fields from the sea.
"My work begins with observational drawing. I sketch while I am out walking in the landscape around my home. Weather conditions often dictate that the work is done at speed, sometimes just a few marks and lines to convey the essence of the subject. Being immersed in drawing allows images to become embedded in my memory. These can be recalled at a later stage of the painting process, sometimes years later.
"When I am in my studio, the starting point for my painting is spontaneous and experimental. I work on several paintings at once, adding layers of colour and building up surface texture. I enjoy working on a surface with a history and will often go back to a canvas that is quite old and re-work it by over-painting areas and over-drawing – hence the piece builds up over many months, even years.
"There is always a pivotal moment in each painting, which may be in response to something I have glimpsed while out walking or simply an interesting juxtaposition of colours/shapes in my studio. My final intentions are realized when all distractions are stripped away in a moment of clarity. Ultimately, through my practice, I am learning to simplify and pare back, to reinforce the things that are most important to me in my life."