Chris Turri -
Chris Turri’s early years were spent as a silversmith, tradesman,
and avid explorer of the land and culture in the great southwest.
For the last two decades, Chris has been fabricating sculpture from
new and reclaimed metals and developing his “special sauces” to
create unique patinas on copper and steel. Transforming the
“skins” of old vehicles – 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s – Chris uncovers the
elements in the metal that tell stories from another time and
brings a richness and deeper character to the work. In more recent
years, Chris blended metal and patinas with reclaimed fabrics and
released a new line of work he calls patina on cloth painting.
Throughout his life, Chris has scoured the desert for the memories of those who lived before.
Native cultures hold a special place deep inside, so he gratefully borrows some of the iconic
imagery of indigenous peoples and blends them with universal symbols and materials of a more
recent time. Chris’ abstractly figurative sculptures are a contemporary expression of the
harmony in diversity.
Artist Statement:
In my art, I strive to share my love of native culture, the
rich character of old and new, and stories of a diverse
world in harmony rather than strife. I started collecting
“junk” many years ago - just cleaning up what others
left behind – and then I repurposed it and built things
like my art studio, retaining walls, greenhouses, and my
art. Having started as a silversmith, the transition to
metal was natural and provided me with a skill in finish work.
