Artist Profile: Max Turner

For many years I have had the privilege of calling Max Turner my friend. He is the most skilled artist I have ever known, and continues to inspire -- and awe -- his students and fellow artists alike. You may not have heard of Max, for he is a humble and unassuming fellow. But local artists know who he is. Max is the sculptor's sculptor, whose breadth and quality of work would astound you. He's the consummate draftsman, whose head and figure drawings rival those of the renaissance masters. He's the gifted painter, whose bravura style is startling and magnificent. Max is, quite simply, a master.

Growing up during the depression in the small mining town of Bingham Canyon, Utah, with no culture to speak of, somehow Max's interest in art was kindled and the creative seed was planted. It took sixty years to take root, for during the interim he was a soldier in World War II, a printer, a machinist, twice a husband, and a dedicated and conscientious foundry worker. Later he had the good fortune to meet a fine artist named Hal Reed, who encouraged him to pursue painting. Since then art has been his passion.

Over the years there have been many artists whom Max has admired, but a few that stand out in his mind are Frank Brangwyn, Sergei Bongart, Mariano Fortuny, Abram Arkhipov, Nicolai Fechin, Antonio Mancini, and the sculptor Stanislav Szukalski. Among present day artists Max appreciates the work of Richard Schmid, Dan McCaw, Peter Liashkov, and Jeremy Lipking.

Max's taste in music varies, but he enjoys listening to the Big Bands, Ellington, Billie Holiday, Gershwin, and Ray Charles, among so many others. For entertainment he enjoys watching football and Nascar on TV, and attending the Saturday workshop at the California Art Institute in Thousand Oaks, California.

Max has published two wonderful books, both of which are available on his website: Faces, a gallery of his amazing head drawings, and Figures and Faces, a marvelous compilation of some of Max's incredible figure and head drawings, plus a generous sampling of some of his sculpture and paintings.

Both books are reasonably priced and highly recommended.

Visit Max Turner's website

Artist Profile: Ed Terpening

Painting diverse landscapes “en plein air” (in one sitting, on location) is Ed Terpening's passion. California’s hills scattered with oak trees, bay marshes, and of course our beautiful coastline provide him with constant inspiration. He applies his contemporary California Impressionist skills both outdoors and in the studio for larger works.



Terpening seeks to capture the essence of a location and time by painting the movement, rhythm and color harmonies unique to that day. To his eye, the disparate elements in the landscape (land, sea, and sky) have an interchange and relationship that is fascinating and inspirational. Each effects the other and work in harmony. That’s why he’ll often paint the same location again during the year several times. As the seasonal fauna come and go, and the weather changes, the color harmonies are endless! Terpening's early music training and career established his perception of “visual rhythm,” which he strives to represent in every painting. It’s the interesting interchange between all elements of the landscape that create these rhythms and provide the perception of movement in what otherwise might be considered a photographic still.



As a collector of early California art, Terpening follows the traditions set by the innovators such as Edgar Payne, Colin Campbell Cooper, Seldon Gile, Tom Tompson and in particular the seascapes of Franz Bischoff, Paul Dougherty, Joseph Kleitsch, Armin Hansen, John O’Shea and Alfred Mitchell. He is grateful to these men and women for the inspirational legacy they’ve created. He also admires contempory plein air artists, such as Edward Seago, Fred Cuming, Ken Auster, Joseph Mendez, Ovanes Berberian, Don Stone, Ted Goerschner and Camille Przewodek.

Visit Ed Terpening's website.

Artist Profile: Sunny Apinchapong-Yang

Sunny Apinchapong-Yang was born in Bangkok, Thailand, where his Chinese parents settled after World War II. He arrived in the United States in 1970 where he received his first formal art instruction. He attended Art Center College of Design, and California State University, Los Angeles, earning both B.A and M.A degrees in Fine Arts.

In 1977, he began studying painting on scholarship at the Sergei Bongart School of Art in Los Angeles, and later worked as Mr. Bongart's assistant at the Los Angeles school and at the Summer workshops in Idaho. From 1987 to 1989 Sunny lived in Dublin, Ireland and participated in anexhibition sponsored by the Royal Academy of Arts. Sunny also had a one-man show at the Polo-one Gallery in Dublin. He has won numerous awards for his paintings in regional competitions and has held many private workshops around the country. In addition, he has taught at Brandes Art Institute in Los Angeles, California, the Businessmen's Art Institute in Los Angeles and the Fechin Institute in Taos, New Mexico.



He has held solo exhibitions in 1992, 1996 and most recently 2003 at the Moresberg Gallery in Los Angeles and in 1984, a one-man exhibition as well as, 1991 a duo exhibition at the Frye Art Museum in Seattle, Washington, and also participated with many group exhibitions, including theannual Gold Medal show with California Art Club at the Pasadena Historical Museum.Galleries that have exhibited Sunny's paintings are: The Saks Galleries, Denver; The Taos Art Gallery, Taos, NM: The Amparro Gallery, Scottsdale: Esther Wells Collections, Laguna Beach.

Sunny has been working for Walt Disney Studios since 1992, as a Background Artist in the Feature Animation Department. Most recently he has been working as an Art Director at the Disney TV Animation division. He is a resident of Glendale, California where he lives with his wife Pennee and their two children Tess and Jason.

Sunny Apinchapong-Yang is a Signature Member of the California Art Club and a member of its Advisory Board. He is also amember of theOil Painters of America.



Visit Sunny Apinchapong's website.

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