“Jesus” (clay painting on canvas)

KNOXVILLE – The Arts & Culture Alliance is presenting a new exhibition featuring over 40 colorful clay paintings by Knoxville artist Regina Renee Turner entitled “Love & Peace: Expressions of the Bible”. To create her clay paintings, Turner drips the paint onto canvas, rarely using any tools in the process. The cracked clay paints lend a feeling of antiquity, and the vibrant colors draw the viewer. The exhibition will be on display in the Balcony at the Emporium Center in downtown Knoxville from June 7-28, 2013.

Regina Renee Turner received her first Merit of Art Award at the age of 17 from the Tennessee Artist Association. At that time, she was also accepted to Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts. She received an AA degree in Art from Roane State Community College and completed additional art studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She is now fluent in over 20 mediums. Turner is inspired by artists such as Chagall, Rouault, da Vinci, Jamali, Dr. He Qi, Alieta Andre, and Pollock.

“When I am creating art, I feel close to God in a beautiful way,” says Turner. The theme of her third solo exhibition, “Expressions of the Bible,” refers to utilizing a visual language to express God’s words of love and peace from the Bible through expressionist biblical story paintings. Turner was nominated for the Best of Knoxville Artist category in Metro Pulse’s 2013 competition. Her work has appeared in the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra League Showhouse and in eighteen juried or member art exhibitions in the past three years. In 2010, she received second place in the “Meet The Next Leonardo da Vinci Competition”. Currently, she is represented by Plum Gallery of Knoxville, and her work appears in private collections throughout the U.S. For more information on Regina Renee Turner, please visit www.reginaturner.com.

Emporiium gallery hours are Monday-Friday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM with additional hours on Saturday, June 8, from 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM.

Published June 8, 2013