JAN B. (TEKO) TERESZCZENKO
Painting
I AM JAN B. (TEKO) TERESZCZENKO, AN ARCHITECT,
(WHO CAN DRAW, AND WHO CAN EVEN PAINT TOO).
AND I DO…!
THE ART EXHIBITED HERE IS FROM THE COLLECTION OF MY WATERCOLOURS, OF THE STILL EXISTING EDMONTON HISTORIC ARCHITECTURE, WHICH I HAVE FOUND TO BE WORTHY OF AN ARTISTIC ARCHITECTURAL RECORD.
A BIT OF HISTORY:
I AM A GRADUATE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE, OF THE WARSAW, (POLAND), TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY, WELL KNOWN BY ITS CONTINUATION OF THE PARIS’ ‘ÉCOLE DES BEAUX-ARTS’ SCHOOL TRADITION, THAT ARCHITECTS SHOULD KNOW HOW TO DRAW AND PAINT. DURING MY STUDIES THERE — BACK IN THE 1950S — MY ART TEACHER THEN WAS ALREADY FAMOUS PROF. ZYGMUNT, (‘ZIMEK’) KAMIŃSKI, WELL KNOWN FOR A POPULAR SAYING, THAT: ‘HE COULD EVEN TEACH A HORSE TO DRAW’. IN MY CASE HE EVIDENTLY SOMEHOW SUCCEEDED, HORSE OR NO HORSE.
DURING MY WORKING, AND MY SEVERAL YEARS LONG RESIDENCE IN SINGAPORE, (CLIMATE AND ALL), AND ENCOURAGED BY AN ATMOSPHERE CONDUCIVE TO PRACTICING OF ART IN PUBLIC – EVEN ON STREETS THERE — I BECAME INTERESTED IN RECORDING IN WATERCOLOUR THE SINGAPORE’S HISTORIC ARCHITECTURE, IN SITU. THERE WAS QUITE A LOT OF IT, AND ALL CHERISHED LOCALLY. SO, UPON MY RETURN TO EDMONTON I DECIDED TO SEARCH AND TO CONTINUE THE SAME HERE, AND SURPRISINGLY…!, I HAVE DISCOVERED QUITE A NUMBER OF FASCINATING EXAMPLES OF THE LOCAL HISTORIC ARCHITECTURE, MANY, UNFORTUNATELY, NOT ONLY LITTLE KNOWN, BUT SEVERAL EVEN HARDLY VISIBLE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC. THE REASON…? EDMONTON PUBLIC LIFE DOES NOT HAVE A HISTORIC ARCHITECTURE PRESERVATION ON ITS MIND, AND MANY HISTORICAL OBJECTS ARE NOT PRESERVED OR EXPOSED ACTIVELY. AND MANY ARE SIMPLY INVISIBLE…! WHY…? SOME ARE LOCATED AWAY AND OUT OF SIGHT, SOME HAVING BEEN SUBJECTED TO THE ILL UNDERSTOOD ‘URBAN RENEWAL’, AND SOME ARE JUST HIDDEN IN THE RICH EDMONTON LANDSCAPING. TO THIS CAME AN ARCHITECT, ME, JAN (TEKO), WITH HIS CAMERA AND HIS ARCHITECTURAL KNOWLEDGE, AND THE REST IS HISTORY.
THIS HISTORY IS NOW IN FRONT OF YOU, IN TOTAL OF JAN’S PRESENT PORTFOLIO, AND PRETTY MUCH IN TOTAL OF ITS EXISTENCE IN EDMONTON, (WELL THERE MAY BE FEW MORE, AND I’D PROBABLY WILL YET PAINT THEM TOO…).
IF YOU HAVE ANY INTEREST, AND WOULD LIKE TO MAKE SOME COMMENTS, I’D BE READY TO LISTEN TO YOU DURING THIS ART EXHIBIT, OR EVEN AT LENGTH LATER, VIA E-MAIL, TO: teko@shaw.ca, (AND THAT, 24/7).
MY SPECIAL THANKS ARE TO THE CITY OF EDMONTON PRINCE OF WALES ARMORIES HERITAGE CENTRE AND THE CITY OF EDMONTON ARCHIVES, FOR GRANTING ME THE SPACE FOR THIS EXHIBIT, AND TO ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION AND INTEREST.
TESPECTFULLY YOURS
TARRRAH…!
JAN B. (TEKO) TERESZCZENKO, ARCHITECT AND ARTEEST
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