William Kurelek Canadian painter Teaching Slideshow By R.M. Anderson

William Kureluk is a famous Canadian artist. He was born in Whitford, 75 miles northeast of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. On March 3, Breaking land in Alberta

He lived on a grain farm during the "dirty thirties". Times were hard. These things are sent to try us

He went to a one room schoolhouse. Ukrainian pioneer #1

William liked to paint prairie landscapes because he had grown up there. Snowdrift fun

William was the oldest of seven children. His parents had come from the Ukraine. William went back to the Ukraine to see his dad's old village and paint the people. Green Sunday

William painted landscapes with acrylic or oil paints on a board. Winter road in Alberta

To make a new painting, William would apply acrylic or oil paint on a board, and then outline his images in ballpoint pen. The Blacking pen

He would use colored pencils to create texture, and then scratch, scrub or brush the surface for detail.

He finished by adding further details in pen. Building a cord cradle

Kurelek’s parents were Ukrainian immigrants who lived a very difficult existence after they arrived to Canada. He often painted the hardships of immigrants who were forced to work difficult, laborious jobs. Polish Lumberjacks

He liked to work long days and nights when he painted. Breaking the ice for cows in winter

William got a special award called the "Order of Canada" when he was fifty years old. Ukrainian pioneer #4

William Kurelek believed that art was a gift that came from the heart and the mind. He produced over 2,000 paintings during his lifetime. He died on Nov. 3, 1977 of cancer when he was fifty years old. Ukrainian pioneer #4

You can see his paintings in these books. To My Father's Village A prairie boy's winter A prairie boy's summer Kurelek's Vision of Canada Kureluk Country Milking Time

Links His prints More art urelek_w.html#interviewhttp:// urelek_w.html#interview Chicken in a bucket

Resources to check out. National Film Board of Canada movie about William Kureluk 1967, 10 min 07 sec Kurelek. Daly, Tom, Bill Pettigrew, and al, Montreal, Quebec : National Film Board of Canada 1966, 1967.William Kureluk With WK in the Workshop; a Memoir of William Kurelek. Dedora, Brian Stratford, Ont.: Aya Press / Mercury Press, William Kurelek, the Suffering Genius. Ewanchuk, Michael, Winnipeg: Derksen Printers and M. Ewanchuk Pub., Kurelek, a Biography. Morley, Patricia. Toronto: Macmillan of Canada, 1987, c1986. Kurelek's Vision of Canada By William Kurelek and Joan Murray. Edmonton, AB: Hurtig Publishers, pp. Book review

Pencil crayons add detail and colour. Ukrainian pioneer #6

Other artists use pencil crayons to show light and colour shades. Knox Gill “The Marbles”

Demonstration of pen and ink techniques

Demonstration of pencil crayon shading