WILLIAM TURNBULL (1922-2012)

'... the absoption of nature and the act of painting are two activities reconciled during the act of painting. That is, by projection or extension a dialogue takes place between the artist and his material; and like a conversation it stops when one of the parties involved has nothing more to say to the other. It is impossible to pre-plan - it is a live performance. This is not, as is often suggested to be, an act of egoism and indifference to nature: rather it is the reverse. It can stem from the deepest respect for things, from the belief that one does not attempt to imitate them or recreate them in their own terms. The artist attempts to create a new object, participating as a parallel activity' (William Turnbull, 1957, quoted in D. Sylvester (intro.), exhibition catalogue, William Turnbull: Sculpture and Paintings, London, Serpentine Gallery, 1995, p. 40).