‘Probably the most famous British artist of all time’ - Discovering Turner

When Art for Guernsey commits to a project, they certainly commit for the long term.

‘This is a multiple-year project,’ said founder and director David Ummels on the current JMW Turner project. ‘We are effectively in year two of a four- or five-year project.

‘About five years ago I was made aware that Turner came here in 1832 and spent about six months on the island and he produced a very prolific body of work – about 100 sketches that are in the collection of Tate Britain. At the time we had our hands full with the Renoir project but I immediately thought that something should be done about Turner, especially because he is probably the most famous British artist of all time.

‘Also the fact that he came for so long on-island was something to celebrate. I was also quite surprised at the time that not a lot of people seemed to know about this. So, as usual, we like to apply art and connect the dots between our heritage and the contemporary situation of Guernsey and we love to apply contemporary art to revisit our heritage and overall, the main takeaway of this entire project, is that Guernsey is a very inspiring place and it has to be celebrated.’

The first part of the Turner project began last year with the installation of the Turner Trail, a self-guided art installation of 11 free-standing panels positioned on the east and west coasts where Turner sketched. The trail will be completed by adding Herm, Sark and Alderney, where Turner also visited.

Local artist James Colmer was also asked to interpret Turner’s landscapes in his own style and this resulted in an exhibition in April 2024.

‘We never miss the opportunity to engage with schools and we’ve had 15 schools that have been working with us to produce magnificent large panels of collective artworks, using spray paint, but inspired by Turner. We will be displaying the panels upstairs.’

Art for Guernsey has been in further discussions with Tate Britain.

‘We are well advanced in a positive dialogue with them and they, in principal, are open to lend us the sketches. This is very much a 2026 project and, after that, we will be considering curating a full Turner show.

‘It’s very interesting how I got involved with this project,’ said Merlyn Chesterman. ‘Two of the directors, Jock Pettitt and David Ummels, approached me at the London Art Fair out of the blue, and asked if I’d be interested in coming over and being involved, and I said yes, of course. They said “We heard about you from a Russian artist who had seen your work in China”. So I thought, wow, how nice and global is that? His name is Oleg Mikhailov and he comes to Guernsey quite often, but he also worked at Guanlan Print Base in China where I have also done some residencies. It’s a small world.’

How did she approach the ethos of Turner’s work?

‘That’s a good question because I wasn’t sure how I was going to approach it. I did a bit of background reading about Turner.

‘I’m also interested in the sea and creating atmosphere. Both of which Turner is the master. And coming here I looked at the drawings and decided I would try, for the first time, to do drawings in woodcut. It means doing a drawing in situ outside, then on paper reversing it, sticking it down and then cutting something like what you’ve drawn. I was rather happy with the results and worked on them further.’

Merlyn is proud to be a part of such an amazing project.

‘This is such a great show because it’s four completely different artists working in four completely different ways.’

Charlie McFarley said he ‘followed Turner around, 200 years after he was in the bailiwick’.

‘I have learnt about how difficult it must’ve been for him when he was here, the steps he put in and the places he visited and I’ve tried to imagine what he’d do if he was here now.’

One of Charlie’s pieces shows the Buddhist carving in Sark.

‘To me, I saw an old man’s face. That’s what struck me straight away. I like to use spray paint in my work and I think Turner would have been an advocate of using spray paint in his work if he could’ve got hold of it 200 years ago. I think he’d have loved it. The vibrant colours and there’s a lot of room to make mess with it, it’s not too neat, but you can also control it very well, so you get the best of both worlds.’

Was there a touch of the non-conformist about Turner?

‘Definitely and a little bit ahead of his time. I heard a story that he knew that the pigments he was using, new with very bright colours, were a risk and a lot of them haven’t aged well over time, especially the reds, which have dulled down massively. So I think if he’d got his hands on some spray paint he’d have been like a kid in a candy shop.’

Gideon Summerfield said he was both honoured and blessed to be a part of the exhibition.

‘My father and my grandmother used to come to Guernsey, particularly Sark, throughout their lives, so it feels wonderful to see what they’ve experienced here – the beautiful views – and to respond to it in a visual manner.

When artists talk about Guernsey, they talk about the light and when people talk about Turner, they talk about his depiction of light. How did Gideon respond to the light?

‘The light in Guernsey and Sark and Herm is extraordinary. Any artist would be super excited to come here to experience it and my work primarily focuses on light. Certainly the time of day, in the morning or when the sun is setting, when almost time stands still, everyone can relate to that. I was excited to work at different times of the day. So it’s almost a journey as you go throughout the exhibition.’

Many of Gideon’s works are of Sark.

‘I can understand why Turner liked it so much. With the big skies, the clouds and almost taking colour to a whole new level. I have exaggerated some parts and then some sense of realism as well.’

Gideon was commissioned by the King to produce a series of paintings of the procession on the day of the Coronation, on 6 May 2023.

‘This was almost a form of therapy after creating paintings for the King. So to be among nature, which His Majesty adores, has been really thrilling.’

Damon Kowarsky wasn’t on island at the time of the interviews.