Becky Turk
Becky Turk is an artist from Madison’s Atwood neighborhood, working out of a home studio just a block away from Lake Monona and Olbrich Gardens. She graduated from UW-Madison in 2021, with a Bachelor of Science - Art. Her painting practice is mainly a method of expression, not a business, but she enjoys making portrait commissions. She works as a substitute teacher and private tutor for high school students at an alternative school, and bartends on the weekend.
“I started to paint portraits because they feel timeless. They represent an instinctual curiosity about ourselves, and the things we can never know. With every new iteration of figurative work, there’s a brand new nuance of emotion unique to the subject and painter. The human body is the most visually stimulating thing I have felt observing art, and creating my own.
Being a dancer has given me a sense of the physical expression we are capable of, and the carnal emotions that one can only release through endurance, performance, and pain. I think I want to represent some of that presence and intensity in my portraits. Underneath it is a driving force to feel alive. Just as much as physical expression, visual communication has its own special transference of information.
My models are usually my friends and coworkers, or myself. I use a variety of mediums on large canvas and wood panels. The base is usually acrylic paint, and the last layers will turn into collage and mixed media depending on the textures I need. I have embellished wounds in a lot of my paintings to express the feelings of tension in the body. Some are more traditional looking portraits and others are experimental fantasies. I have also used animals and plants as subject matter to study texture and anatomy.” -Becky Turk, 2023
“Wait For Me.”
What is your favorite quote?
“Ok my favorite quote is from the book The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron- ‘Expect the universe to support your dream. It will.’”
“Self Soothing.”
Why does your art primely focus on painting people? Why not landscapes amongst other things?
“I think I paint people because it’s the only subject that holds my interest long enough to complete a project. Human anatomy and skin is always the same but yet so subtle in variation.”
“I Can’t Hear You.”
What is your inspiration behind making such intense looking paintings?
“The more graphic subject matter is meant to add an element of tension, and to visually represent touch sensations most of the time.”
“Aavanté”
What do you hope to achieve with your paintings?
“I paint as a way to express myself and understand the world around me, and I get enough from it just being my hobby and never leaving my house. Anything beyond that is a welcome opportunity. I enjoy sharing my work with people and talking about it very much.”
