(Above: Teliczan poses by her installation at Spectrum Health’s Integrated Care Campus at Ada.) 

by Sarah Anderson | photography by Two Eagles Marcus

Curled up on the couch in her home in Ada, Ann Teliczan giggles as she reveals that one of her favorite past times is running through the woods barefoot. Much like her artwork, Teliczan is uncategorizable.

A beautiful juxtaposition of what is expected and what is reality, Teliczan brazenly embraces each aspect of herself; she is authentic to her core.

Born to a Baptist minister and a well-known Christian author, Teliczan’s life began in Los Angeles. At the age of 4, her family moved to northern Washington, where her love for art emerged. Her parents always saw the artist within her.

“My parents have pictures of me drawing as a little girl when I lived in Washington,” Teliczan recalled. “My mom would say, ‘You know, Annie, you’re an artist.’ I thought she was telling me that to make me feel good; I thought that everybody loved drawing, creating and making things,”

Eventually, Teliczan landed in Wheaton, Illinois with her parents and three younger brothers where she spent most of her youth. Her dad’s job took her family to Grand Rapids, where she studied illustration, graphic design and photography.

“That’s my inspiration: When someone looks at my work it makes their day a little better and them a little happier.” –Ann Teliczan

Teliczan’s career began in advertising. She worked at Gemini Publications, was a national advertising and PR director at Brooks Shoes, and then went to work for an ad agency all the while quietly creating art in her free time. On the same day Teliczan took a leap of faith and quit her job to fully commit to her own work, she was met with a phone call from Skyline Art Services, a major art consultant in Houston who recommended and sold her work.

“[They were calling to tell] me that my work had just been accepted for this huge project at Fort Belvoir, in Alexandria, VA and they wanted to make sure I had time for it,” Teliczan recalled.

From this point on, Teliczan had complete control over her schedule and was able to devote more time to her art. She was consumed with drawing, painting and constantly creating new techniques. If it gave way for the opportunity for Teliczan to create, she dove in: photography, video, graphic design, and pottery, to name a few.

“At one point I had a design studio set up with my computer; a black and white dark room in my basement; a full setup to hand color my black and white photos with Marshall’s Oils; a potter’s wheel and a kiln,” Teliczan mused.

She began a successful ad agency, AT Media Studio, established herself as an HDR photographer with work appearing in Mashable and Oprah Winfrey’s newsletter and let her floral artwork flow freely from her and into venues throughout the world.

She splits her time among all three of her passions, each holding a special place in her heart. Out of her unassuming basement studio with decorative string lights strewn around the ceiling and quirky memorabilia from her family proudly displayed, Teliczan creates works of art.

The Florals

Teliczan’s love for flowers began at a young age.

“My mom always loved gardening and had these really beautiful flower gardens,” Teliczan recalled. “I just remember always having this really strong love for flowers.”

Turning her love into artwork was a natural progression that began 15 years ago.

“Flowers make a really good subject matter for art because they’ve got so much color and a variety of shapes, texture and movement in them,” she explained.

About eight years ago, Teliczan’s work began to gain recognition and started to display in major installations across the country. Today, she has installations of 60 or more pieces in hospitals in Tulsa, Oklahoma; Jersey Shore; Long Island; Houston; Dallas; Dayton; Fort Wayne; Grand Rapids; Alexandria, Virginia; and Florida.

Her art is widely accepted across different venues. What is it that makes her work so appealing to display on any wall?

“I think that it’s something that pretty much everyone can relate to,” Teliczan speculated about her artwork’s popularity. “They give people a sense of joy and energy and at the same time they’re peaceful and relaxing.”

Teliczan’s approach to her art is much like her approach to life: whimsical yet grounded. Although she won’t give away all of her secrets about her famous botanical work, Teliczan will share that her process is one she developed using 3-D objects, a flatbed scanner and computer manipulation. Once the digital image is perfected, it’s carefully printed with archival inks on archival fine art paper, canvas, quarter-inch thick acrylic or custom tiles. The results? Telizcan describes “saturated color, vivid detail and a luminous surreal feel.”

The process has continued to evolve, with Teliczan bursting with new ideas to improve it and bring new viewpoints to her art.

Perhaps the reason that Teliczan’s floral work has been so popular among medical facilities is the feeling that her pieces bring with them.

“When I walk into Mercy Health and I see Ann’s work, I feel like I have a friend,” Victoria Upton, a collector of Teliczan’s work and patient of Mercy Health, said. “I feel like someone understands and I have that hope that I need. It adds light to whatever darkness you’re facing and I guess that’s the ethereal part of it. The spirituality comes through in her work.”

Teliczan understands the reality facing those who are in the company of her artwork.

“I realize that a lot of my work will be in situations where it will help people going through a difficult time feel better,” Teliczan explained. “Even when it’s in someone’s house, it is meant to elevate the mood and make it a happier place. That’s my inspiration: When someone looks at my work it makes their day a little better and them a little happier.”

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[one_third][/one_third][two_third_last]Sarah shuffles between editorial support, content production and advertising at WLM. She loves her job so much, and isn't just saying that to impress her boss.[/two_third_last]