“Upon Leaving”
encaustic and mixed media on canvas
59” x 27”
“Rooms of Her Own”
encaustic and mixed media on linen
59” x 27”
“….and red roses too” (I)
encaustic and mixed media on linen
4’ x 4’
“….and red roses too” (II)
encaustic and mixed media on linen
4’ x 4’
“Waking Slowly”
encaustic and mixed media on linen
3’ x 3’
“Need to Dance” (II)
encaustic and mixed media on linen
3’ x 3’
“Dance Moment I”
encaustic and mixed media on linen
2’ x 2’
“Dance Moment II”
encaustic and mixed media on linen
2’ x 2’
“Dance Moment III”
encaustic and mixed media on linen
2’ x 2’
“Dance Moment IV”
encaustic and mixed media on linen
2’ x 2’
“Dance Moment V ”
encaustic and mixed media on linen
2’ x 2’
“Red Shirt”
encaustic and mixed media on paper
30” x 22”
“Enjoying the Light”
encaustic and mixed media on paper
22” x 30”
“Turban and Light"
encaustic and mixed media on paper
22” x 22”
"Dance Me (II)"
encaustic and mixed media on linen
nine 2' x 2' paintings totalling 6' x 6' installation size
all unframed
TERESA POSYNIAK
Through the themes of vulnerability and resiliency in my figurative work, I explore the rich contours of human identity. Using the human figure (usually female) without its trappings or defenses, I try to convey emotions experienced when one is privately engaged in contemplation, seeking strength, comfort or solitude. Quite often, I view these figures as projections of myself dealing with my personal struggles - a kind of self-portraiture.
I feel driven to find visual metaphors which express a strong awareness of the fragile and temporal nature of life. Thus, I often place these nudes in or on very basic shelters, sometimes with bundles of cloth or flowers. I consider the environment and the elements in it as significant as the figures themselves.
Over the years, certain individuals have captured my attention through their vision and strength in transcending difficult situations or challenges in their lives. For example, a married couple who suddenly lost their 16 year-old daughter to cancer, and their ongoing journey through the grief process, formed the basis for the triptych, “I Speak My Daughter Tongue”. A long-time professional dancer whose drive to dance and to teach others this form of expression has inspired me to create many works about her and the power of dance. However, over the past few years, I have been working with a local Blackfoot elder, Linda Many Guns, on a series of paintings and drawings called “Consensus”. Through these works, I connect myself, my skills as an artist, and my experiences as a Western Canadian with those of my subject, Linda and other individuals of the Blackfoot Nation. These artworks will form part of her current doctoral research into the visual representation of traditional knowledge, and through exhibitions, create a better window of understanding into the rich and thriving Blackfoot culture.
Through the subject of the human figure, I gain a greater awareness of myself and others.
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Having received her B.F.A. in painting and lithography at the University of Regina in 1981 and her M.F.A. in sculpture at the University of Calgary, Posyniak went on to teach at the Alberta College of Art and Design throughout the eighties, and also at the University of Calgary and other institutions. Posyniak is represented in many private and public collections, both national and international, including The Glenbow Museum, The City of Calgary Civic Art Collection and The Alberta Foundation for the Arts Collection. A recipient of many art awards and grants from the Alberta and Saskatchewan governments as well as The Canada Council, Teresa has exhibited both her two and three dimensional work across Canada. Her public sculpture, “Lest We Forget”, a memorial to 135 murdered Canadian women, was permanently installed at the University of Calgary in 1994.
Since the late eighties, her focus has been on painting and drawing the subject of the human figure (mainly women). In keeping with her constant themes of vulnerability and resiliency, Posyniak’s figures reflect a contemplative and emotive reality which relates to her keen interest in social issues and world politics. Her artwork ranges in mood from meditative to disturbing, but she is always obsessed with the beauty of the human body and its relationship to its environment
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