Teresa Posyniak : Drifters & Blooms

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Teresa Posyniak, "Oxygen Poem II," 2016

oil, charcoal, chalk pastel & oil stick on canvas, 30" x 78"

Reception: Saturday September 16, 1-4 pm | Artist Talk at 2 pm

“The final purpose of art is to intensify, even, if necessary, to exacerbate, the moral consciousness of the people.”

– Norma Mailer

Inspired by the beauty and complexity of nature, Teresa Posyniak’s richly textured paintings pay homage to an unsung hero of our environment—plankton. A collective term, plankton refers to a range of single to multi-celled organisms that live in water, but are either too weak or small to swim against a current, and therefore exist in a drifting state. In spite of this fact, these hardworking “drifters & blooms” form the building blocks for both marine and freshwater ecosystems, and produce over half of the earth’s oxygen.

For over ten years, Posyniak has been drawing inspiration from these gorgeous and diverse organisms, using her skills as an artist to move them out from under the microscope and into the spotlight. Her latest large-scale paintings have a palpable energy which captures the magnetism of these fascinating micro-organisms and heightens our connection to them. As our eyes trace the sinuous lines and shapes across each canvas, we are lured in, feeling the push and pull of the work just as the plankton feels the current.

“Although her imagery is based primarily on plankton, her paintings transcend their specific source to evoke broader and more universal meanings. Her art may be grounded in readings about science, but the way she paints is remarkably visceral, intuitive and passionate. It is as if she has internalized her knowledge and transformed it into pure feeling during the creative process.”

– Monique Westra

BIO

Teresa Posyniak is an established artist based in Calgary whose work explores themes of vulnerability and resiliency in contemporary society. With a career spanning nearly 40 years, she brings to her art a versatile professional training that includes degrees in literature and drama, a BFA in painting and printmaking and a MFA in sculpture. She has worked in materials as diverse as steel, wood, concrete, handmade paper and felt, oil and encaustic, ranging in scale from room-sized installations to intimate drawings and paintings. Posyniak has always been a socially engaged artist and her activism, primarily on behalf of women, children and the environment, drives her practice.