Paranormal Artist Profile: Elisabeth Turci

Elisabeth describes her work as “dark surrealism”, but we think she should add the word beautiful in there, too.

Belgium-born paranormal artist Elisabeth Turci is based out of Italy, and is known for creating “paintings and illustrations with a dreamlike and surreal style, inspired by symbolism, alchemy, the occult and mythology.” She describes her work as “dark surrealism”; something born out of her own personal loss.

"I started drawing and writing as a child, because I needed it," she said. "It was the only way I could process and understand certain types of emotions. I was probably influenced by the particular situation in which I grew up after the loss of my parents. Therefore as a child I have always been afraid of losing those I loved. Perhaps it is for this reason that I always liked ghost stories, because rather than fear they somehow speak of a desire for hope."

Ghosts and monsters are something that have been a part of Elisabeth’s life since she was a little girl, which explains why her favorite paranormal subjects are "ghost stories, cryptozoology, and the little people (goblins, faeries)." Her favorite monsters, though, are “the Yeti and Nessie (the Loch Ness Monster).”

"I've always heard ghost stories, since I was a little girl," she explained. "Part of my family originated in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, where there is a rich folklore of legends and scary creatures: ghosts, witches and hobgoblins like the Mazapégul among the most known, but also dragons, werewolves... Although these traditions have greatly diminished in recent decades, I have fortunately lived with elderly people who have inspired me with their stories.”

She’s never seen one herself, at least not yet, but she has had what could be considered a series of psychic experiences.

"I fear it is not a paranormal experience, but in the past I have had dreams about real situations and people that I know, and then those situations actually happened. I probably had a good instinct about it..." Elisabeth told us.

Elisabeth’s work can capture the soul of humanity, even in an alien.

Elisabeth is a remarkably grounded individual; someone capable of appreciating the simple, profound beauty of life’s many experiences. For Elisabeth, finding joy in a stranger’s appreciation of her art comes naturally.

"Every once in a while some people who adopt a drawing of mine tell me why they liked it, what it reminded them of, what it means to them; at that moment I feel happy. I have the feeling of being able to let go of all those hours I spent working on a piece of paper that was empty before, because that drawing or painting is about to take a journey and have a story that from then on will be part of the someone else's life," she said.

Nowhere are those qualities of her character more on display than in her advice to other artists.

“I think (and I hope) that I'm only at the beginning of my artistic career, so I'm afraid I'm not the most qualified person to give advice,” Elisabeth said. “If it can be useful this is what I try to remind myself to be able to improve: to be curious, not to be too strict with oneself remembering that everyone has his own times and his own story. Painting, drawing, creating, drawing sketches for future projects whenever possible. Believe in what you do. Open your mind and visit exhibitions, read, educate yourself, get interested in other forms of art as well as those you prefer.”

To see more of Elisabeth’s work, visit her page in our art portal; also make sure to follow her on Instagram, peruse her Etsy shop, and find out more about the latest news of her upcoming exhibitions and events through her website.

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