Suffolk Center sets sculpture exhibit

Published 7:52 pm Saturday, September 2, 2017

Sculptors William and David Turner have been capturing the rich wildlife diversity of the Eastern Shore of Virginia in their bronzes for more than 30 years.

An exhibit at the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts Sept. 14 through Oct. 21, “From Concept to Creation: Nature in Bronze,” will feature their bronzes, as well as William Turner’s paintings and books.

The opening reception for the exhibit will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Sept. 14. At 6:30 p.m. David Turner will make a short presentation on the lost wax bronze casting, the process through which their bronzes are created. Signed copies of William Turner’s books will be available. The reception is free and open to the public.

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William and David, father and son, established Turner Sculpture in 1983 near Onley. It is the largest private bronze foundry and gallery in the United States.

Their works appear in hundreds of museums, universities, art galleries, businesses and homes throughout the nation and in several foreign countries.

In 1992 William and David Turner presented their Bonefish sculpture to President George H.W. Bush in the Oval Office. A year earlier they created a fox weathervane for Barbara Bush, which is on display at the Congressional Club in Washington, D.C.

Their Marine Corps Eagle, Globe and Anchor is on display at The Museum of the Marine in Jacksonville, NC. Other bronze pieces have been commissioned by the Chicago Zoological Society, Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut, The Philadelphia Zoo, University of Virginia, Benson Park Sculpture Garden, Virginia Aquarium, the Lindbergh Memorial, and The College of William and Mary.

They have created more than 700 different limited edition bronzes and more than 100 large commissioned public pieces.

Both men are natives of the Eastern Shore of Virginia, which is rich in wildlife and waterfowl and provides continuous sources of inspiration for their work.

William Turner, a graduate of the Medical College of Virginia Dental School, had a private dental practice, but his long-held interest in painting and sculpture led him to become a full-time sculptor. His son, Bill, took over the dental practice, his son David became his partner in Turner Sculpture, and son Bob is an attorney on the Eastern Shore.