Biography

Having been involved with art in one form or another my whole life it is difficult to say exactly how I arrived where I am today. I can say for sure that my late aunt Sharon Rae Turco had a profound impact on my development as an artist. A well known figure in the Atlanta art community, she was, I’m told, the first to notice innate abilities in me as a young child. As I grew up watching her painting style develop and change she was always very encouraging and supportive of my growth as a young artist.

In high school my interest diverged from pencil drawings and I became interested in painting. This was also where I took my first black and white photography class. Though photography was never far from my mind, at the time I was enthralled with and inspired by fantastic images from painters like Picasso, Rothko, Miro, Cezanne, and many others. More than anything else this seemingly random selection of artists introduced me to the idea that nothing is off limits in art. Since then I have always given in to the idea that your style finds you not the other way around.

In college I was able to experience and practice a range of mediums including metalsmithing, drawing and painting, graphic design, and again photography. It was at this point that photography became my main area of interest. I was lucky enough in school to have two very strong photographers as mentors and professors in Stephen Scheer and Mark Steinmetz. They introduced me to great photographers like Walker Evans, Harry Callahan, and Man Ray who inspired a lot of my early work, and later to more contemporary photographers like Richard Misrach, Lee Friedlander, and Sally Mann. All of whom and many more make up a rich tapestry of images that drive me to make photographs.

I was fortunate enough to work closely with many wonderful professional photographers at the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops where I worked as an assistant for the summer in 2001. One of the first weeks I was there Nick Merrick, of Hedrich Blessing architectural photographers, offered me an assistant position with his firm and I worked with him for the next three years, solidifying my technical photography skills and honing my compositional eye.

In 2005 I started Turco Photography. My goal was to create photographs and sell enough of them to support my family. I have done some commercial and architectural work and worked with a few galleries but fine art fairs have become my main source of income. I love the creative freedom and inspiration this line of work affords me. Over the last few years I have won over twenty awards from various shows and competitions. I have had the opportunity to discuss my work with countless art enthusiasts and collectors.

Currently my work is part of many public and private collections both in the U.S. and abroad. Most recently several of my photographs were acquired by Warner Brothers Pictures for inclusion in the upcoming feature film “Life as We Know It”. I'm very thankful for everyone who has helped me maintain this business over the years and I hope you continue to come back to the shows and this website to see what's new at Greg Turco Photography!