100 Views of the Hudson River Valley

It's been a while since my last post, but I've been busy drawing! Since moving up to the Hudson River Valley, I've been somewhat compulsively making pastel paintings of our new surroundings.

It began with a few small thumbnails, and then grew, day by day from there.

It's amazing what living surrounded by nature allows you to notice.

And on the river, the changes happen minute by minute.

 

Sometimes it's hard to stop drawing because by the time one drawing is finished, there's another one waiting outside! This is a small selection of the pastel paintings over the past few months.

There's a freedom that comes with being able to observe the same general scene over and over. It allows for abstraction, naturalism, and exaggeration to come and go.

I'm looking forward to seeing where this new inspiration takes me.

And now that spring is finally here, everything changes once again!

To see more, follow me on Instagram: @evanturkart

Heartbeat

I am very proud to be a part of the new Dalvero Academy exhibition Journey of Transformation that just opened at Mystic Seaport this past weekend. This exhibit is a follow up to our previous show at the Seaport a few years ago, and is focused around the 38th Voyage of the Charles W. Morgan, the last wooden whaleship in the world, and it's new message of education and conservation. There is incredible and inspiring work by 29 artists, and I am honored to be one of them!

Part of my contribution to the show is an animation called "Heartbeat". This animated short follows the life of a baby whale whose mother is killed during the heyday of American whaling in the 19th century. It continues through our destructive relationship with whales over the decades, using the bodies of whales for everything from illuminants, to industrial lubricant, to food. As our perceptions of whales, and our relationship with them changes, a new song of empathy and compassion is formed to sail forward into a more hopeful future.

You can view the animation below:

I hope you will go and check out the show if you are in the area!

I was fortunate enough to be on the Morgan's 38th Voyage last summer (you can read about my experience here). The wonderful composer for this animation was a fellow 38th Voyager, Gary Wikfors. He composed and performed all the music for this piece using an octaveharpa, nyckelharpa, tenor mandola, octave mandola, mandocello, and mandolin. What an experience it was working with a real composer! I couldn't be more grateful for his dedication and beautiful work.

Summer!

It's been a while since my last post, but there have been many wonderful exciting things happening! First, at the end of June, I got married! It was amazing and surreal, and feels like a beautiful dream already. In between the relaxing on our honeymoon in Provincetown, I did a few thumbnails of a sunset that was too amazing not to draw.

In less romantic but still exciting news, my reportage of Jerusalem was a part of an international exhibition of reportage illustration for the Reportager Award at the University of the West of England. So wonderful to be included and to see reportage work being appreciated!

I am also very honored to be representing Dalvero Academy and Canson on one of a new plein air drawing pads, all featuring Dalvero Artists! So exciting! My drawing is on the Illustration pad, with the beautiful work of Margaret Hurst on Canva Paper, Julia Sverchuk on Mixed Media, and Veronica Lawlor on watercolor. So exciting! Go check them out!

 There's also a blurb about Dalvero Academy on the inside cover!

And finally, in a sneak preview, I just received the first round of printed proofs from my upcoming book The Storyteller!

Can't wait to share the whole book with everyone! Many exciting things to come!

Winter at Mystic Seaport & Ezra Jack Keats Honor

It's been a while since my last post, but I've been busy finishing up the artwork for my next children's book! It is my first book as author and illustrator, called The Storyteller, due out in 2016 (more to come soon)! I'm also thrilled to announce that I received the Ezra Jack Keats Award Honor for New Illustrator for Grandfather Gandhi! Keats was an incredible illustrator, and I am so honored to be in his company in this way.

I also had the chance to go back up to Mystic Seaport with Dalvero Academy this past weekend, for a snowy and beautiful couple of days. The first day was COLD, so my hands only emerged for brief amounts of time before I ran back inside. The Charles W. Morgan looked like an ice-stranded Arctic vessel in the frozen Mystic River.

This was our first time seeing Mystic Seaport's newest acquisition, the Mayflower II! Built in 1957, it is a historical replica of the original Mayflower, created in England as a symbol of partnership between our two countries after WWII. She's an odd looking ship, but a lot of fun to draw! I'm looking forward to learning more about her as the restoration continues.

The next day we were treated to the most beautiful snowstorm, with snowflakes the size of butterflies settling over the quaint New England houses. A small flock of hooded mergansers (some of the most adorable little ducks) flitted all over the frozen river.

As the snow cleared away, all of the color began to return to the landscape.

Blue sky and sunlight finally broke through the clouds.

Still trapped in the ice, The Morgan seemed like it was coming to life too.

Hopefully this is a sign that spring can't be too far off, and the ice will be melting soon.

For more of Evan Turk's travel illustration, check out the link below: 

Evan Turk Travel Illustration

Olives of Gethsemane

For the start of the new year, I thought I'd post some drawings I did near the beginning of last year from my trip to Israel. Outside the walls of Jerusalem lies the Garden of Gethsemane, a grove of ancient olive trees said to be the same trees Jesus prayed beneath the night before his crucifixion.

Whether or not these could really be the same trees is up for debate. The trunks of three of the trees have been dated as old as 1092, 1166, and 1198 CE. Nearly one thousand years old, but not old enough to have witnessed times during the life of Jesus. It is said that when the Romans conquered Jerusalem in 70 AD, they cut down every tree in the area.

But olive trees have a miraculous ability of perseverance and regeneration. Beneath the thousand year old trunks lie even more ancient roots. Some say that the roots may be over two thousand years old.

Olive trees can regenerate themselves from their roots, even after fire, destruction, and decay. Despite the hollow, scarred trunks, the new life in the branches springs from the life of the ancient roots.

Olive branches are a symbol of peace, but also of the essence that survives hardship and renews itself.

So here's to a brand new year, with the possibility of healing, growth, and new life!

Happy 2015! 

For more of Evan Turk's travel illustration, check out the link below: 

Evan Turk Travel Illustration

Life Drawing

I just finished an amazing workshop with Dalvero Academy, drawing from the model for four days straight. It doesn't get any better than great teachers, great friends, great models, and tons of drawing! It's always a great place to explore and try new things. Here are a few of the drawings from last weekend.

Bethesda Terrace: Part 2

On today, which is hopefully the coldest day of the year, I decided to go back and think warm thoughts and look at warm drawings from the heat of summer. Above, is a drawing of the Winter seasonal landscape lining one of the staircases at Bethesda Terrace in Central Park, where I spent a few weeks this summer drawing and painting with pastels (See Part 1 Here). The birds look a little stressed and cold, I think.

But that's enough winter!

Let's all just think nice warm thoughts...of weeping willows, laying in the grass, and sun-dappled reflections on the water...

...of running outside in the early morning, gentle breezes (with no wind chill) rustling the leaves...

...relaxing in a gondola as the water, trees, and clouds drift by...

...and listening to the resonant sounds of strings and choral voices echoing through the warm, dewy air.

Above is the seasonal birdscape for Summer...don't they look happy and relaxed?

Let's keep that mindset going...

(One of the many benefits of working from home, is that on a day like today, I can do as the cats do: Curl up in a too-small shipping box near the radiator and pass out.)