Today we’d like to introduce you to Crystal Turk.
Crystal, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
My background is fashion. I used to work in the skate Industry as a product developer before my husband and I decided to expand Left Hand Black to a full studio and adding a fine art gallery to it. It took years of working in the fashion industry to fully develop my art “style”. My husband and I have always been fascinated with skulls and everything macabre. As a child I would go bone hunting with my father. It wasn’t until my honeymoon to Italy that opened my eyes to a new side of my art. Fusing catholic reliquary with my interests, nature, death and decay. I love creating little stories with my art, as well as the shows I hang at Left a Hand Black. However, It’s hard finding time for my art with two kids and running a gallery, so I don’t create as much as I should.
That’s the irony of being an artist, once you find out what you like you can’t do it as much!
I curate all the art shows the gallery at Left Hand Black. Anywhere from 2-5 shows a year.
It was important to me to bring a space to South Park that could show art that included the more dark side of art. Art that most galleries won’t even look at. I love being able to bring new and exciting art to the community and exposing peoples eyes to what they might never have thought they would have liked before.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
As an artist, I create art with bones and thread. Fusing my fashion background with love of nature and death. I like to say that I create mini reliquaries for animals. Though the years I’ve collected a good amount of bones and skulls, I use them in my pieces and create little scenes bowing to nature hoping to have people reflect on what power these animals have had in our lives. Similar to a reliquary you would find at a Catholic Church in Italy, but instead made to worship our earth and what it has given us. Forcing us to reflect on what is around us and how quickly it can go away. Beauty in death. Although I graduated fashion school, all the sewing I do in my reliquaries are self taught.
The stereotype of a starving artist scares away many potentially talented artists from pursuing art – any advice or thoughts about how to deal with the financial concerns an aspiring artist might be concerned about?
The starving artist tale is too true!
The general public has not only forgotten, but most don’t have an appreciation for hand made goods anymore. For some, buying a print instead of an original is just as good for them.
As artists, we put our heart, soul, and sometimes blood into these pieces that we create. We are literally showing you our heart and letting you have a glimpse into our soul.
Art is much deeper than it looks on the surface. We put everything into making sure we create the perfect piece. Sometimes sacrificing hours of sleep, time with family or friends, etc. Our extra money, we put that into supplies. Then at the end we can’t put a price on it because we’ve spent so much trying to make it, but we try to price it right and hope that there is someone out there that truly gets its worth and has respect enough to purchase it and love it forever… so that we don’t destroy it after it’s show. Hahaha!
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
If I am not showing work in a gallery, you can always find a few pieces of mine at Left Hand Black In between art shows. You can also see work on my Instagram @crystalmcdeath
Contact Info:
- Address: 1947 Fern Street #5, San Diego CA 92102
- Website: www.lhblk.com
- Phone: 6195466555
- Email: crystal@lhblk.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crystalmcdeath/
- Facebook: Crystal Turk
Image Credit:
All pictures are by me.
Headshot – Chris Cleary
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
