Marshville native Turner Hooper greeted guests during a recent reception at the Drake Gallery, with his artwork on full display.
“He has an impressive resume and is very accomplished,” said Elizabeth Davis Traywick, director of the gallery.
Turner began his career as a copy painter in the Louvre Museum in Paris, before receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of North Carolina-Asheville and his Master’s degree in Painting from the University of Georgia-Athens, where he also instructed Art Studio Foundations classes.
According to his bio, Turner has been included in numerous group exhibitions in New York, Atlanta, Los Angles, Istanbul, Turkey and Basel, Switzerland and has recently had solo exhibitions in Charlotte, New York, and Los Angeles.
Turner’s paintings, drawings and collages are collected internationally, and his book, “Mine Not Mine,” is included in the Museum of Modern Art’s artist book collection.
Turner lives and works in New York City, both as a registrar in an internationally recognized art gallery in the Chelsea district of Manhattan and as an artist exhibiting with the Frosch+Portmann Gallery in the Lower East Side.
His parents, Ronald and Mary Ann Turner, still reside in the small Union County town.
“There was a lot of excitement anticipating the reception for Hooper, and it was well attended,” Traywick said. “The invitation for this event was open to the public.”
Traywick said the receptions are held to expose as many people as they can to different mediums of art and artists.
“We also host them to give artists the chance to showcase their work and discuss it with patrons, and to offer it for sale to the public,” she added.
According to Traywick, the gallery has new artists scheduled for receptions each quarter. Receptions are generally open to the public.
“We change the art to keep new work up on a regular basis and to spark an interest in the public,” Traywick said. “In-house artists are asked to change out their work each quarter also.”
Traywick said that it seems like sometimes people are apprehensive about art or coming into the gallery, but everyone is welcome.
She went on to say that the works of art tend to evoke different emotions in different people.
“Usually, people who attend receptions seem to enjoy the experience, talking to the artist and others about the exhibits, and viewing the art in person,” she said. “We have had quite a few pieces of art going out as gifts over the holidays.”
Turner’s work will be on display until Jan. 31.
The next reception is will feature artwork from Elizabeth Schafer, March 18, from 2 to 4 p.m.