Jimmy Turrell
A graduate of both Liverpool School of Art and Central St Martins, Jimmy brings together eclectic reference material to create artworks that look effortlessly thrown together. Few people achieve the fine balance of chance and construct that imbue his articulate picture-making with such dynamism and panache.
Whilst an avid collector of old books and little discarded gems, the majority of Jimmy’s collaged elements are self-generated paintings. His command of watercolour is also applied to portraiture as varied as black activist Toni Morrison and Thom Yorke of Radiohead. These portraits, often fading out to unfinished areas, dripping with colour, resonate and carry a certain dignity.
Original watercolour images are not the only aspect of Jimmy’s work where he chooses to take an unusual amount of control over his library of elements. Where budgets and time allow Jimmy prefers to book professional models and art direct his own photo shoots to obtain the exact pose or attitude that he’s looking for. Friends have also been asked to step in to fill a role.
In producing a preliminary stage artwork for Nike, involving footballer Ronaldo, Jimmy enlisted the help of a friend for the required body double. Admittedly a few nips and tucks were needed in Photoshop….
Due to this tireless desire to use unique imagery, Jimmy has built up a library of original source material, that he continues to process via both the photocopier and screenprinting studio. Jimmy believes “…there’s such a constant hunger for different types of imagery now, that a platform has been provided for some real experimentation” and he’s always keen to put that to the test. Distressing and overprinting once crisp imagery provides him with random, chance accidents to use in his work, which keep the artworks dynamic and energetic. To the untrained eye, much of the overprinting and grainy texture in Jimmy’s artwork might appear like a Photoshop filter but in fact it is the hand made ‘real deal’.
Clients
Universal Music
The English National Opera
Nike
The Source magazine
Lexus
The New Yorker
Capitol Records
Condé Nast Traveller
Levi’s
Maverick Records
The New York Times
Green Peace
Frame magazine
Kyocera
Fake London
Tokion
Esquire
The Prodigy/XL Recordings
Channel 4
Colette
The Guardian
Spin magazine
Baycrews
DC Shoes
Swindle magazine
The Fader
The South Bank Centre
GQ
King magazine
Newsweek
Getty Images
Wall Street Journal
Der Frietag
Wired
Vanity Fair
Glastonbury Festival
Rome Snowboards
San Diego Repertory Theatre
Links
