Meet the artists Mar. 28

Self-taught Lethbridge artist Ilona Teglas is one of the featured artists at the Picture Butte Art Gallery until Apr.3.

There is an artist’s reception meet and greet on Mar. 28 from 2-4 p.m. 

“I am very versatile. The medium is mostly acrylic and I like the challenges. I sometimes see a beautiful picture somewhere or even on the computer or even on the TV or even in the newspaper. I say that is a good reference and I will work around that and then I create my own. I’m even painting with coffee,” said Teglas, who has been an artist for well over ten years.

Working with coffee is very interesting to Teglas, who compares the liquid nectar of the Gods to painting with water colours.

“Actually, the decaffeinated espresso coffee works the best,” said Teglas, adding one of her masterpieces is entitled, “Forest on Coffee Break.”

Teglas noted, as for the process of working with coffee, the artist usually uses three different glass bowls filled with various textures of coffee.

According to Teglas, one bowl is liquid, another bowl is a little bit thicker and the last bowl is the thickest.

“The people that are looking at my art — they find it interesting,” said Teglas, while wondering how she does the paintings.

Teglas currently has 19 works of art on display at the group show in Picture Butte, where she used to visit the gallery and view various art pieces previously on display.

Teglas said she spoke with a volunteer working at the gallery one day and the two talked about the possibility of bringing her art work for all to see.

Besides coffee, Teglas also does pen and ink drawings too, with the permanent help of a Sharpie pen.

“When you’re using this Sharpie pen you have to be very, very careful because once you put it on the canvas you can’t correct it anymore and it’s done,” joked Teglas.

Other techniques in the Teglas art arsenal is the use of actual real flowers in her creations.

“I created a background on a canvas and from my garden I put a real flower on it and I hammered it. I call it hammer art,” said Teglas, adding after meeting her satisfaction she puts glue on the flowers. “ I did not colour the flowers, they kept their own colour.”

Teglas also puts different colours on a canvas and sprays water on it and lets the colours run down the canvas and when it is to her satisfaction she paints on it.

For more information about the show or about the art work of Ilona Teglas call 403-328-6106.

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