Trinity Thurner was the first person who came to mind when college art instructor Jazzminh Moore was asked to recommend an artist for the Corner Gallery’s upcoming Young Artist’s wall. “I have had Trinity in several art classes at Mendocino College,” Jazzminh elaborates. “She was a real delight to have in Figure Drawing because an exceptional level of craftsmanship would often be paired with some unexpected macabre alteration of the figure. I never knew what to expect.”

Trinity is a recent immigrant to Mendocino County. Hailing from the Southern California land of endless beaches, she moved recently to Redwood Valley. “I always enjoyed the cloudy and rainy days at the beach,” she says, “because that was when it was less packed.” It’s possible that Trinity’s preference for wild weather is linked to her love of Surrealism and the macabre as a form of artistic expression.

Trinity’s favorite artists are all well-known Surrealists, two of them women (which was unusual for the time). Remedios Varo was one of the few acknowledged female surrealist painters of the first half of the 20th century, and Mary Leonora Carrington was a British and Mexican Surrealist painter who lived most of her adult life in Mexico City.

Contemporary filmmaker and artist David Lynch has also inspired Trinity, with his representations of the human figure and a decided leaning towards the dark world of Surrealism. “Artists such as David Lynch have inspired me to go further with both realism and surrealism,” Trinity says. “My favorite piece in my show I call ‘The Council’, which is a whimsical subject that I portrayed darkly… like David Lynch might have done.”
 
“My favorite medium as an artist is oil paint,” Trinity continues. “Paint in general is great… and I will use acrylic and water color as well as oil, but I really enjoy oil paint the best. I now go to Mendocino Community College where I take art classes and plan on pursuing a career in that direction. I’ve always been into painting and photography, but I got more into art after taking classes in college. I haven't gotten into ceramics yet, and am always curious about glazes and kilns… so that would be an art medium that I would be interested in trying.”