Terry Findley's Biography (Photos)

As a self-taught artist, Terry has lived in the Bow Valley since 1980. Much of that time was spent exploring the wonders of the Canadian Rockies. As he walked through avalanche chutes, newly borne of the winter months, he would build cairns and Inukshuks as trail markers. He marvelled at the colours, shapes and texture, and an idea began, to work this shale into an art form.

After starting a contract job in Nunavut, Terry once again found himself walking on shale, but this time along the Hudson's Bay. The crackling of the rock beneath his feet reminded him of the scree in the mountains, and he would stop and pick up many pieces to bring home. During the winter nights, he began painting landscapes using the rock from the seashore as an intricate part of his medium. As his work progressed, he realized the shale gave the paintings not only texture and depth, but a sense of strength that attracted viewers to touch them.

Now, Terry has returned to the mountains, but it is due to illness and the need for medical treatment. He has found a refuge in painting, and no matter how tiring the treatments, he finds the inner strength to keep his art going. The white canvases in his studio no longer intimidate, but inspire Terry to mix paint, rock and flora into creations he calls "Rockscapes". His mind races with ideas as the use of these materials unfold. Although the paintings might be "recent works" some of the materials are millions of years old, which Terry thinks is delightfully ironic!