Michael Turner Short Biography
Michael Turner was born in Harrow, Middlesex in 1934. He grew up in the suburbs of London during the Second World War, he was fascinated by the activities of the Royal Air Force.He learned at an early age to distinguish between different aircraft and, of course, his school books were peppered with drawings of planes.
His enthusiasm for aviation was joined by motorsport after a vacation on the Isle of Man in 1947, where he watched the first post-war race, the British Empire Trophy. From that moment on, he attended as many racing events as possible - including the very first meetings at Silverstone and Goodwood, as well as the Jersey road races.
Following his school years, Michael spent a year at Art College and two years of military service with the Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers. He then spent three years gaining experience in London advertising studios before deciding to work as a freelance artist in 1957.
Firmly believing that there is no alternative to first-hand impressions on location to portray such challenging objects with expertise and feeling, Michael has regularly visited the world's major race tracks. Even today, he travels to several racing events each year to ensure the authenticity of his images. At the same time, he has taken every opportunity to fly in a wide variety of aircraft - from the Tiger Moth and Lancaster, to the Harrier and Tornado, to participating in aerobatic flights with the Red Arrows - to gain impressions for his aviation paintings. He is a founding member of the Guild of Aviation Artists and enjoys flying in his own de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk.
Among his clients worldwide are many racing drivers, teams and sponsors, pilots, automobile and aircraft manufacturers, Royal Air Force and Army casinos, museums and private collectors. His solo exhibitions have been held in London, New York, Australia, the USA and in special exhibitions in various places in Europe.
Several books of Michael's work have been published in recent years with the main themes of his painting, motorsports and aviation. Michael has been married to his wife Helen since 1969. They have two daughters named Alison and Suzanne and a son named Graham.
