These abstract acrylic paintings—on both canvas and paper—are marked by a lyrical spontaneity and a refined visual intelligence. The dynamic interplay of figure and ground emerges through heavily textured strokes of thick paint layered over fluid stains and flowing washes of color. The works possess a luminous presence, celebrating the physicality and expressive potential of paint itself. Rich in tonal nuance and colouristic surprises, compositions are alive with allusions to the natural world—never literal, but always evocative. Deeply committed to the sensuous “look of paint,” the artist created a body of work that feels both instinctive and sophisticated.

Born in Edmonton, Alberta on January 29, 1947, after high school, Terrence studied painting at the Alberta College of Art in Calgary, graduating in 1973.  After graduation, he moved to Toronto.

By the mid 1970s, Edmonton’s art community included serious abstract artists such as Robert Scott (painter), Isla Burns (sculptor), and Terry Fenton (gallery director and curator), who had all studied at the Alberta College of Art.  There were other painters, like Douglas Haynes, Ann Clarke, and Graham Peacock, all who were affiliated with the University of Alberta Department of Art.  Most of them attended the influential Steiner Workshop at The Edmonton Art Gallery in 1973. Keller, too, came for the workshop and met his contemporaries, creating friendships that would last his lifetime.

The successful workshop, led by New York abstract sculptor, Michael Steiner, had a positive effect on most of the participants.  Steiner’s rigorously critical attitude toward art values and his creative workshop techniques would result in a surge of art-making activity in the city.  Edmonton quickly became a focal centre for artists interested in the creation of serious abstract art.

Keller saw the Edmonton artistic environment as stimulating and challenging and he returned to the West in 1976 to set up his studio in  Edmonton.

As a full time painter, Keller continued his education through various workshops over the years. He briefly taught at the University of Alberta as an Instructor of Art (1977-79) and as a Sessional Lecturer (1979-82).  He participated in the Emma Lake Artists Workshop (2000) and Triangle Artists Workshops both in New York State (1982) and Barcelona (1988), preceding the Barcelona Olympics.

He exhibited his work widely, especially in the Canadian West, both in group and in solo exhibitions, and is represented in several private and public collections.  These include the collections of the Art Gallery of Alberta (Edmonton), The Glenbow Museum (Calgary) and The Canada Council Art Bank (Ottawa).

His work developed steadily for some 40 years. He is recognized as one of the finest Canadian painters of his generation.

EDUCATION

1969-73 Alberta College of Art, Calgary, Alberta

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

1977-79 Instructor of Art, Department of Extension,
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta

1979-82 Sessional Lecturer, Department of Art and Design,
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta

WORKSHOPS

1973 Michael Steiner Workshop, Edmonton Art Gallery
1982 Triangle Workshop, Pine Plains, New York
1986 Collaborations in Clay, The Works, A Visual Arts Workshop
1987 Triangle Workshop, Barcelona, Spain
2000 Emma Lake Workshop, Emma Lake, Saskatchewan