Thursday, August 28, 2014

Best Wishes to You, Tina... A look at Jac Turner, Artist

I received an email from a local gentleman recently who had purchased a Jac Turner print of Diamond Springs from a local thrift store and was interested in finding out a bit more information on him.  So I decided to write a post and share what I know.  I met Jac in 1991 at his gallery on Main Street, Placerville, when I worked nearby, just a few doors down.


I stopped in often after that, and made sure to purchase a calendar from him each year. I have the 1991, 1992 and 1993 calendars. A 1992 calendar with thirteen beautiful full color prints is now on sale on ebay for $150.00! I believe he only made three calendars, and I have them all, each signed with a florish by Jac himself as I waited: "Best Wishes to You, Tina".


As I glanced in his window which faced main street, one day in the fall of 1992, I saw a fresh watercolor painting he had just completed and pinned up on the wall, not yet matted or framed. It was of Main Street, and prominently displayed the City Hall buildings and the Superior Court. I worked at City Hall at the time, and had worked for twelve years at the Courthouse, so I was immediately drawn to the lovely colorful painting. I walked in and purchased it, leaving it there to be framed. He asked if he could include it in his 1993 calendar, and I gladly consented.


Showers on Main Street - 1992

Above is the calendar print of my original watercolor.

Jac moved to El Dorado County from the Santa Clara Valley in 1986, with his wife Valerie, who passed away in 1988. Valerie had encouraged Jac to paint and he proceeded to create with a colorful passion. He also illustrated a couple of large tomes by local historian George Peabody, "The Squaw Hollow Sensation" and "The Historical Perspective", with his quick and comical sketches.

Emmanuel Church of Coloma - October 1990

The print of the Emmanuel Church in Coloma, above, which is included in the 1991 calendar, is one which I bought as a framed and signed print from the Art Gallery in Georgetown several years ago. Gold Country Girls Lori and Tina (myself) were married there in a double wedding in 1980, so it holds special memories!


Bell Tower Plaza- 1989


Sportsman's Hall 1850 - July 1988

John William (Jac) Turner, a native Californian, was born in Fresno in 1916, and died in El Dorado County ten years ago on August 16, 2004. He worked on his high school newspaper and yearbooks, becoming a published artist early in his life. Jac served in the Navy in World War II, learning to carve while stationed in the Pacific Theater.  Later in the Santa Clara Valley he worked as a commercial artist and owned a cabinet shop. An original founder (1992) of the Gold Country Artists Gallery, located on Main Street in Placerville, he continued to paint until just a few years before his death.


The Fausel Ranch - 1989



Gutenberger Corners 1856 - June 1990


Georgetown Hotel 1859 -  painted 1990


Smith Flat House - October 1990


Downtown Diamond Springs - August 1988


D'Agostini's Pond - November 1992


Mosquito Bridge - September 1992


The Willow School - October 1992


American River Inn - September 1991

The above and the following eleven prints are from the 1992 calendar, along with Jac's colorful descriptions of each. This is the calendar for sale on ebay.


Old Town Auburn - September 1991


The Bayley House - September 1991


Boeger's Winery - July 1991



Downieville - September 1991


Downtown Placerville - April 1991


The Fausel House - September 1991


Fiddletown - 1990


Lower Main Street, Jackson - September 1990


Nevada City - September 1991


Pleasant Valley Hotel (Spencer House) - August 1991


Shingle Springs Mill - September 1991
(Actually, he was wrong about it not being a mill - they milled shingles by horsepower - but I won't hold it against him!)


Stonebraker's Place- Also known as Bryant's Retreat - October 1988


Our final print, with Jac's Best Wishes, to show Gold Country Sis Heidi that he made it to Sonora in September 1991 to paint the beautiful Episcopal church.


It is hard to believe it has been a decade since we lost this wonderful, colorful, prolific and friendly artist.  You are missed, Jac. Thank you for leaving such a delightful Gold Country Watercolor Legacy behind!


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9 comments:

Heidi Ann said...

Oh, Tina - what a fabulous post this is!
I think it is SO cool that you knew him personally. And how incredibly special that you own that original painting!
He was a fantastic artist, and I loved reading this and seeing all of the historical buildings and scenes that he painted so beautifully, right here in our own gorgeous Mother Lode Gold Country!
I'm so sorry that it took me a week to read and appreciate this delightful and interesting post with so many examples of his artwork to enjoy.
My only excuse is that we were gone when you posted it, and after we got home I was not feeling very well for a couple of days.
It's wonderful.

Tina Dawn said...

Thank you so much for finally reading this and loving it. I was so bummed that no one seemed to care about it, and I knew you would like it! At least now it is out there in "the cloud" in case someone wants to know about Jac. Love T

Anonymous said...

Hello! What a wonderful & beautiful depiction of El Dorado County! I like how there are little facts underneath each portrait. Is there a place where I can still purchase his paintings? I am interested in hanging them in our office at the County.

Unknown said...

My name is Natalie thompson and my parents owned a baseball card shop across the street from jac..I was 12..and everyday I would go over and visit him..I have original water color paintings jac painted just for me..and signed..he painted them while I watched in amazement his paintings brought to life..I even have one he did of me..I hope to find them and post here on this beautiful blog u dedicated to such a magnificent artist..and humble man..
I remember eating lunch with him and laughing ..and him reminiscing

Unknown said...

So great to stumble across this blog! Thank you for all the kind words. Jac was my grandfather. He was amazing at anything he put his heart into. Everything from carving, to construction, cooking to water colors... it all had an artistic style of his. Our family does have some original water colors and a few boxes of numerous prints. I'm not sure if the originals would be for sale, but prints would be.

Alida’s Granddaughter said...

Jac Turner did a wonderful watercolor of my Grandma Avansino’s house. He even personally signed it for me. I truly love Avansino Corner and hang it proudly in my home. I see there is also a Stone Breaker House which was my Great Grandfather Herman Bryant. Maybe some day I will come across one. Jac Turner was an amazing artist and brought life to his work.

The Sinors’ 5/25/2022 said...

Tina, how fantastic to find this article about Jac Turner. We had been in love with the old Gutenberger home for several years. We ran into Jac painting at a county fair, and he had on display #68 of 300 of the original. We purchased it and still have it to this date. Additionally I contracted with him to come to our little cabin in Pollock Pines and paint a picture of our cabin as a gift for my husbands birthday in September 1993. So we have a copy of the Gutenberger home and one original of our cabin from him which we proudly display in our current home in Shingle Springs, Ca. So very nice to find this site

Anonymous said...

Fabulous to find this. We have 2 of Jac Turner’s paintings. One is #68 of 300 of the Gutenberger home (a print) and the other an original that I contracted with him to paint of our cabin in Pollock Pines where we got married (1993) as a gift for my husband’s birthday. They still hang in our now Shingle Springs home. We visited his studio in Placerville various times. Loved talking to him - very interesting and talented man.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for posting this site. I have "the stonebreaker house" prints. I have almost all 300 signed litho's of that one. I found them at a yard sale Applegate, Orego. So cool to finally find out more about him.