Johnny Turner | redbird

Behind a ramshackled gate at Shelley Bay hides the courtyard and working space of the sculptor Johnny Turner. In what was once the officers laundry, for the past 18 years this small haven has overflowed with the collection of materials that he has built a career on.

Lauded both in New Zealand and internationally for his ability to transform volcanic and metamorphic rock into works of fine art, he has exhibited around the globe, giving voice to something with millions of years of memory.

Johnnys passion and energy for his craft makes it seem as if this has always been his calling. But his first career was in teaching, and for the prolific sports person art was not at the forefront of his thinking. However, personal tragedy challenged him to reassess his own direction, when he dropped out from teaching to study art. In many respects sculpting saved Johnnys life.

Greatly influenced by the elegance and subtly of Japanese art, Johnny's work embraces simplicity, and his thoughtful design compliments the timelessness of the rock he works so closely with.