October Artist of the Month – Meet Helen Turner
Helen Turner has been painting for a mere seventy years. She began after transferring to Wayne State University in Michigan and thought it was time to start studying something new. She had been studying business at Fischer College but decided to major in Art and Science at Wayne. She moved back to Wellesley after graduation but never put down her paintbrush. 
Turner worked at John Hancock in Accounting until she married and moved to West Lebanon, New Hampshire where she and her husband began raising four boys. There she studied in her spare time with artist Fran Shorey. She used watercolor and oil to paint nature and still life. While in New Hampshire she exhibited with some other painters and sold a few paintings each year. Turner found more stunning landscapes to paint both in her travels and after their move to Lee in the Berkshires.
When Helen’s husband passed away and her boys were grown, she moved back to her family home (since she was eight years old) in Wellesley where she now resides. Helen has just celebrated her 90thbirthday with a wonderful party thrown by her adoring children and surrounded by many friends. Turner has kept very busy in town both with the Council on Aging, where she has been honored for her volunteer work, and with the WSA, where she is an exhibiting member and serves on the board. She was also a member of the Needham Art Association for 10 years and sold many paintings during that time period. Her paintings can be found in homes all along the East Coast.
Upon her return home, Turner studied with Artist Deborah Bates and currently studies with Maris Platais. Bates introduced Turner to acrylic painting, which is now her preferred medium. An avid gardener, Helen continues to paint florals and landscapes, often with birds and other animals. All of her sons are great admirers of both their mom and of her artwork. She often includes her grandchildren in nature scenes as well as “anything her sons ask for.” Painting has been a cherished part of Turner’s life, allowing her both to pleasantly “get lost for hours” and to share the beauty she creates with her loved ones.
On behalf of the Wellesley Society of Artists we wish you a VERY Happy 90th Birthday Helen and more happy painting!