We are big turr eaters in my family. Every fall, Dad gets a pile of them from Twillingate and he fills the freezer. It’s our favorite meal to have with a Newfoundland cooked dinner. I’ve never been involved in the process of cleaning them, though my mom has told me stories about the big production of cleaning birds she’d have to be involved in as a kid, Nan cutting off their heads with a pair of kitchen scissors and the big pot that was on boil for scalding the birds. By the time I came around, turrs had either moved off from our part of the White Bay or people had gotten tired enough of the rotten work of cleaning them that they stopped doing it.
Years ago, I came across this photo of two men from our community on Facebook and saved it, knowing I’d paint it one day. The packed shed, the smile on Bob Small’s face, busy with the work of cleaning turrs is what I know home to be: hard work relieved by many hands busy telling stories.
Cleaning Birds
4’7”x7’
oil on canvas
2025
If you’d like to make an appointment to view this painting in person or discuss purchasing and shipping, please email us at hello@sabrinapinksen.com.
We are big turr eaters in my family. Every fall, Dad gets a pile of them from Twillingate and he fills the freezer. It’s our favorite meal to have with a Newfoundland cooked dinner. I’ve never been involved in the process of cleaning them, though my mom has told me stories about the big production of cleaning birds she’d have to be involved in as a kid, Nan cutting off their heads with a pair of kitchen scissors and the big pot that was on boil for scalding the birds. By the time I came around, turrs had either moved off from our part of the White Bay or people had gotten tired enough of the rotten work of cleaning them that they stopped doing it.
Years ago, I came across this photo of two men from our community on Facebook and saved it, knowing I’d paint it one day. The packed shed, the smile on Bob Small’s face, busy with the work of cleaning turrs is what I know home to be: hard work relieved by many hands busy telling stories.
Cleaning Birds
4’7”x7’
oil on canvas
2025
If you’d like to make an appointment to view this painting in person or discuss purchasing and shipping, please email us at hello@sabrinapinksen.com.
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