[2] He showed an interest in and aptitude for art from an early age, drawing cartoons as well as carving small figures from peach pits and selling them.

[4][3] Turzak learned woodworking skills as a young apprentice to an English cabinetmaker, who was a neighbor of the family, work that included making violins.

[1] He had some success exhibiting and selling prints and watercolors, notably some of Chicago landmarks and buildings on the Northwestern University campus.

[3][4] The book was composed entirely of the Turzak woodblock prints, with no additional text, the first-ever such life of a historic figure presented only in images.

[4] Turzak's images reflected his modernist style and many of the woodblocks portrayed a clearly emotional Lincoln grappling with the personal and public crises he faced, particularly the American Civil War and the effort to end slavery.

[4] Buoyed by the success of the Lincoln volume, Turzak went on to create additional works featuring other figures and events from American history.

[4] Turzak's fine art largely shifted from prints to painting, including more abstract works from the 1950s into the 1970s and floral and marine life subjects in the 1970s and 1980s.