Taisha Teal is an artist, art therapist and event organizer for Vancouver Visual Art Foundation.
Taisha Teal Wayrynen is an artist, art therapist and organizer of Art Vancouver. She was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada.
Taisha’s home life has been art-focused since her earliest childhood memories. Her mother, a talented artist, raised Taisha in an environment enriched with art. Playtime involved every artistic medium, including oil paints, acrylic, watercolour, pastels, glass stains, spray paint, photography, pottery, Adobe photoshop, illustrator and cake decorating. Playtime allowed her to develop a rich tool kit with which she continues to experiment and expand. Her vision with art is to induce positive emotions and radiate inspiration with every brushstroke, to expose the creativity in everyone.
Taisha has exhibited her work in many art galleries and art fairs worldwide. She is currently represented by Hollyburn Gallery in West Vancouver and Art @Bentall Gallery in the Bentall Centre. She will be showing her latest collection at Art Vancouver on May 5-8th, 2022, at the Vancouver Convention Centre.
Art therapy is a hybrid profession using psychotherapy and art creation together as a therapeutic technique. Taisha’s role as an art therapist is to create a safe space for clients to express themselves through art-making and then reflect on the piece designed. Clients often discover unconscious thoughts and feelings that they may not have been aware of.
The primary purpose of art therapy is to heal any mental or emotional wounds. Taisha follows an ethical framework, understands that no single approach is the right one, and respects the uniqueness of each individual. Through creating art and thinking about what art mediums to use, individuals can develop skills that increase cognitive abilities, self-awareness and self-esteem that can help in coping with stressful symptoms.
Taisha is also the director of operations for the Vancouver Visual Art Foundation. This non-profit organization seeks to build relationships between artists and their audiences by giving them a platform to share, learn, and connect. The main event is an annual International Art Fair at the Vancouver Convention Centre called Art Vancouver. Art Vancouver has evolved taking a vital journey to strengthen Vancouver as a thriving hub for global and local art. Since 2015, Art Vancouver has successfully hosted Western Canada’s largest contemporary art fair and continues to champion the fusion of global cultures and creativity.
Art has been used as a form of expression since the beginning of human history. It helps us understand the world, both past and present. It also helps us to imagine, express and communicate our emotions and ideas. Taisha’s mission as an art therapist is to help individuals reach their healing goals through art creation, self-reflection, and positive empowerment. In her role as an art event organizer, Taisha aspires to establish Vancouver as a top destination for artists to come together. As an artist, Taisha hopes to inspire love, growth and positivity.
