Tadeusz Warszynski was born in 1955 in Gdańsk, Poland. He was studying music from early age, eventually receiving his Master of Music Degree in percussion instruments from the Gdansk Academy of Music in 1980.
In 1982 he moved with his family to Edmonton, Canada. Here he was able to pursue his ongoing interest with visual art. He received his Master of Fine Arts in Printmaking from University of Alberta, Edmonton in 1996. His works were shown in galleries in USA, Germany, France, South Korea, Japan and Turkey among many other in across Canada. The group show “Printfluence” that he is a part off was chosen to be included in 2014-2015 TRAX Traveling Alberta Exhibition, he was representing Canada in “Formative Impressions” KCPA International Printmaking Exhibition 2014′ 8 Pacific nations, that took place in South Korea in September of 2014.
He lives with his wife Tatiana Warszynski and their children and works in his printmaking studio in Edmonton, Alberta.
Since 1993 he is involved in teaching art as a sessional instructor in printmaking at U of A.
Change, passage of time, birth and death are the themes that are always present in my work. As an artist, I am interested in recreating sensations that are unspoken and universal at the same time. Very often there is a paradox or contradiction that brings feelings of uncertainty or suspension. This is important to me because it helps to create an ongoing dialogue with the viewer (no conclusion) and becomes a great metaphor for life where nothing is as it seems.
The process of printmaking is enhancing and enriching my imagery. The multi-layered images create the emotional density as well as the tonal qualities I am looking for. The very nature of making plates, their sculptural body and the necessity of pre-visualization of the image further enrich my experience with the medium.
In 2018 I have completed the project that I have started two years prior, that was funded by Alberta Foundation for the Arts as my 2016 individual project grant (there was a delay, because of my health problems). It is called “Illumination” and it consists of six large colour woodcuts (3’ x 4’), printed on rice paper and mounted on wooden panels (some with farther cuts, coloured with acrylic paint).
All of these six panels are intended to be presented as a group, to tell the grant story of our times. A story of an incredible explosion of connectivity, technology and science. A story of environmental and to start serious changes to our economy and lifestyles to just begin averting these crises. What will we do? What will win? Wisdom, compassion and sustainability or ignorance, aggression and exploitation. We are deciding now.
On the positive note, another important component of this series is the presence of Light. Light is represented in these images as series of horizontal lines. Without Light there is no colour. To me, Light is Creation. It is Love. It is constantly moving, rejuvenating, boundless, life creating force. Light in my images is interacting with human figures (figures based off my photographs of the Limbo Game where participants walk under the ever-lowering bar)). Their precarious poses both appearing to be relaxed and concorded are mirroring our collective compliance and fears in the face of the alarming environmental and humanitarian changes taking place at the unprecedented speed in front of us.
There are two other images. One, the Illuminator, the source of light (life giving) or maybe explosion (destruction – either manmade or natural.)?
The last image, a mysterious building covered with scaffolding (image based on my photo of the construction of the new Second World War museum in Gdansk, Poland, 2013), symbolizing the power of humanity as a collective to reach beyond time and space. Again, series of coloured Alines show the Light.
We can both create and destroy.
www.Neshka.com
