Meet Artist John Turnbeaugh

 

My name is John Turnbeaugh and I am a painter. 

My favorite medium to work in is acrylics but I also enjoy drawing and illustration. I have lived in Calaveras County my whole life and currently live in Valley Springs with my wife Katie and our five children where we own and operate our own preschool. In my free time I love to paint and illustrate my own stories. Ever since I was a child it has been a dream of mine to be an artist. I have never been formally trained in  art but feel that I have been influenced in many styles and techniques over the years from my admiration of some of my favorite artists, whether those are masters in fine art, or prolific illustrators in the comic book genre. However, I believe my biggest influences have been my parents, my mother is a watercolorist and muralist and my father is amazing with pencils and charcoal, Growing up and seeing their art whether that was in drawings my father did for me, or paintings left out on my moms desk,  I was always inspired by them and feel a great deal in whatever art education I have is owed to them and their eagerness to give me a pencil and paper and let me create what I want and how I want.

            In 2009 I was awarded a high school scholarship through the Calaveras County Arts Council. In the years since I have painted murals at Jenny Lind Elementary and  several large scale murals including a series of murals for  The Resource Connection at their Children's Advocacy center in San Andreas I have also painted dozens of commissioned pieces of art and illustrated multiple graphic novels. Along with that I have also created and painted sets for numerous theatrical productions at Calaveras Sings Theater Arts Reparatory for Kids (CSTARS). I have also won several awards including 1st place in the Professional art division for Portrait Painting at The Calaveras County Frog Jump in 2019. 

            Art is such a crucial part of who I am and something I hope in some way I can pass to my children. I know in being a parent and a teacher that Art is absolutely essential and how important and even therapeutic it can be in life. I have always strived to communicate emotion through my art and try to convey a sense of drama or meaning in what the viewer sees. I believe the greatest achievement that an artist can have is to make someone believe in something they didn't before, whether that is the presentation of a scene that could never exist in real life or an idea or a feeling they have never had. In all, I believe art is a way to share beauty, and it is the duty of every artist to leave the world a little more beautiful than it was when you found it.

O-076 Native American Chief by John Turnbeaugh acr 24x36 $500