Christine Turnbull graduated from Seattle Central Culinary Institute (now Seattle Culinary Academy) as a certified chef, but it wasn’t until 1998, when she was pregnant with her first child, that she found her true calling.

“I couldn’t smell food, so I wasn’t enjoying cooking as much as I previously had,” recalled the renowned Maui sculptor. “Anna Good, Uncle Bruce’s partner at the time, was at our studio sculpting with clay, and she asked if I wanted to experiment with it.”

“Uncle Bruce” is master sculptor Bruce Turnbull, who had mentored Turnbull’s husband, Steve Turnbull, his nephew. By that time Steve was an accomplished sculptor in his own right. Christine Turnbull had apprenticed with both of them using wood and stone but had found those media challenging. In contrast, she felt an instant kinship with clay.

“As a chef I was used to working with my hands,” she said. “I liked the smooth texture of the clay and how I could quickly mold it any way I wanted. Sculpting with clay was calm and peaceful — very different from holding a power tool to create something from hard materials like wood and stone. I loved it! Anna saw that I had a natural talent for it, and I started studying under her and reading every book on sculpture that I could find.”

Turnbull’s style is markedly different from her husband’s: She prefers realism; he, abstract impressionism.

“People are my favorite subject,” Turnbull said. “To me there’s nothing more expressive than a face. It’s exciting to watch a piece come alive when I add emotion and movement to it.”

For Steve Turnbull, serendipity — seeing projects take shape in unexpected ways — is part of the pleasure of sculpting. “I don’t want to know what my finished product is going to look like before I start,” he said. “I like the surprises that come when I let it evolve. I try not to force it. Eventually, I decide whether to suggest a form or leave it purely free-form based on whatever best brings out the beauty of the grain and texture.”

In his opinion there is no such thing as a mistake. “If things aren’t going well, then I take it in another direction,” he said. “If a piece breaks during the process, I make two sculptures out of it. In 30 years of sculpting, I have never given up on a project; it always winds up as a finished piece.”

Artists usually cherish their privacy, but the Turnbulls welcome visitors to their studios at their home in rural Kahakuloa, Maui, year-round. “We love to talk with people and share what we are doing,” Christine Turnbull said. “Sometimes we’re both gone on a Sunday to be with our kids, but most of the time at least one of us is here.”

Their on-site gallery showcases their work and that of more than 20 other local artists, most from Maui. Selections run the gamut from sculptures, paintings and jewelry to ceramics, photography and glasswork. Prices range from $5 to $100,000.

“Artists we represent sometimes come to work in the gallery, and visitors can meet them as well,” Turnbull said. “That’s not common in regular galleries, unless it’s a show featuring that artist. Steve’s studio can be dusty, messy and loud with grinders, drills and other equipment going full blast. Both of our studios are full of works in progress, which opens up endless topics of conversation.”

Another highlight of a visit is the 1-acre garden where about 15 of the Turnbulls’ sculptures are displayed amid fruit trees, native Hawaiian plants and old rock walls that Steve restored with the help of apprentices. Most of the sculptures are available for purchase, and there’s a story to each one.

For example, “Nellie” is a 12-foot giraffe that Steve Turnbull shaped from wood. In addition to the gallery at their home, the Turnbulls had a gallery in Paia for a few years and displayed Nellie at the entrance to attract customers. Their landlord, Don Nelson, loved the piece, and when they closed the gallery in 2013, he bought it.

“Don was inducted into the National Basketball Association’s Hall of Fame in 2012,” Turnbull said. “He holds the distinction of having the most wins as an NBA coach, and Nellie is his nickname. Basketball players are tall, and Don is almost 7 feet tall, so he related to it. We’re storing it for him until he’s ready to place it at one of his properties.”

Visitors can stroll through the garden at their own pace, pausing to rest on stone benches, enjoy the beautiful setting and imagine how art might enhance their home and life.

“Art in its many forms draws out our deepest thoughts and feelings,” Christine Turnbull said. “It makes us stop, reflect and be in the moment. People are so busy these days and need that therapy. I call it ‘art therapy.’ Art can inspire us and make us happy, amused, hopeful, introspective. One piece, even a small one, can completely transform the look and energy of a space and a person.”

A couple once spent three hours browsing in the gallery. Although the wife was blind, she “saw” Steve Turnbull’s sculptures by gently running her fingers over them.

“It was so moving to watch,” Christine Turnbull said. “She stopped at an abstract ohai wood sculpture of birds and said, ‘This is the one,’ and they bought it. Experiences like that make us marvel at the power of art. It’s not only visual and tactile communication; it speaks to the heart.”