A seven-foot tall wood sculpture weighing over 150kgs of a mother with her child, carved by Jim Turner from Penrith Australia Stake, was flown to the USA from Sydney in late December, 2011. It has been selected for inclusion in the Ninth International Art Competition of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
- Jim Turner and his sculpture the day before it was shipped to the US
- The work begins
- The figure emerges from the timber
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The display, titled 'Make Known His Wonderful Works', will remain at The Church History Museum in Salt Lake City, Utah, through 14 October. A total of 1155 entries were received from Church members in forty-three countries.
The 198 pieces selected for exhibit can be viewed at "Make Known His Wonderful Works" .
Jim had not planned to enter but began preparation after he awoke from a sound sleep early on the morning of 6 June with a vivid creative urge.
He said , "I felt impressed to create a sculpture of a mother with her back to the wind and her head bowed in prayer, shielding her child in her arms. It was to have a smooth finish, and be specifically for the competition."
The 83-inch tall sculpture was carved from a single piece of Southern Silky Oak. The only tools used were a one inch flat chisel, a round wooden mallet and sandpaper.
"I started August 22--the day the timber arrived," said Jim, "and finished just days before entries closed."
He was able to work only an hour or two a day for the first two weeks. After that he worked ten to twelve hours a day, six days a week, completing the project in one month.
This is the first time Jim has worked on a sculpture of any kind since 1980 and the first time he has entered an International Art Competition. At his last One Man show, in 2004, he exhibited 840 watercolour paintings of Australian wildlife.
In 2011 three of his original songs won finalist status in the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) sponsored Australia-wide song writing competition that attracted almost 2,500 entries. In October 2010 Brother Turner was listed as a finalist in the poetry section of the Church's 2010 Cultural Arts Submissions.
Jim was born in New South Wales. He holds a Diploma in Art from Alexander Mackie CAE, which is now the University of New South Wales College of Fine Arts, as well as an Advanced Diploma in Music Industry Business with Distinction from Nirimba TAFE in NSW.
He has numerous exhibition awards for his paintings, and he has written and illustrated books and scientific papers. He currently serves as the Richmond Ward Clerk and a Family History consultant.
Note: The church's next International Art Competition, "Tell Me the Stories of Jesus," will culminate in 2015.