Welcome to Tea Buechner's Web site

This Web site features general information about Tea Buechner, photos, and a gallery of her Art.

Tea Buechner

Tea Buechner was born in Hay River, North West Territories, Canada.

Her mother was a truck driver, and a free spirit. From the time Tea was born until she was nine, Tea had four fathers, and had moved from town or province at least once a year. Her early sense of esthetics developed in a family enviornment of poverty surrounded by the expansiveness and starkness of the Northern Canadian landscape. It is not surprising then that her subsequent work is infused with an ornateness, simplicity, and a haunting sense of loss.
This sense of alienation is expressed within her Art forms

Tea's Childhood

Tea Buechner credits her mother for much of her interest and early development of Artistic skils-
"My mother was a unique parent. She never seemed to see me as a child, but as an adult. This gave me heavy responsibility at perhaps too young of an age, but also great advantages. The Art supplies that I was provided were not the typical child's art supplies. From the age of six I was working with Artist quality oil paints on canvas. I trained on clairnet and piano with a professional jazz musician, using professional quality instruments. All my materials were of the highest quality. Of course,lessons were sporadic- the money ran out quickly. It was constantly feast or famine in our house. My mother believed in experiences. As a consequence we would fly to mexico for a month but eat kraft dinner everyday, and sleep on the beach when we arrived. I remember growing up hungry much of the time, but being driven 18 hours into Edmonton to attend the symphony performances. My mother was a very talented Actor and I was expected to help out backstage during her performances, and to behave professionally at all times....In retrospect it was an odd childhood-balanced on the cusp of conflicting cultures and class. At the time I thought it was normal. I thought every child didn't know their father, and that every mother was generous and unstable. I had no idea that it was unusual to be raised backstage, help Actors learn their lines , work in oils, learn to read before kindergarden, write plays to amuse yourself, travel to other countries, and to eat only cheese and bread for a week."

Grandmother

Tea Buechner's mother suffered an emotional breakdown following a draining battle with cancer, and the breakup of her third marriage. Never stable emotionally, the situation developed into severe mental illness.
After a paticularly violent episode Tea's mother arranged for her daughter Tea to be fostered and raised by Tea's grandmother.
" I still have mixed feelings about my mother's choice. I am proud of her for being able to recognize that she was an unfit mother at the time, and needed to protect me from herself. From a child's point of view however, it was unfathomable upheaval.
My grandmother is the polar opposite to my mother. Stable to the point of rigidity, and consistant in all her beliefs. My grandmother is of a genius level I.Q.. She graduated with the highest marks in her school, but at the time scholarships were only available to males. My grandmother was also the child of a single parent, and the oldest girl of nine siblings. She joined the army in the hopes of getting further education, but the war began soon after. Her I.Q. was tested in the army during World War II and immediately promoted to officer.
After the war my grandfather contracted polio and died. My grandmother had to raise three children as a single parent in the 50's. She survived by being utterly in control of her emotions, and being so good at her job that she would qualify for promotions despite the stigma attached to single parents at that time.
Being sent to live with her was like being pulled from a hot tub then dropped into the artic ocean. My grandmother taught me the value of duty, endurance and persistance. She also taught me to trust. She always supported my choices, good and bad, wanting only that I would find what is that would make me happy."


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Music
Tea Buechner- lead singer of the punk band COUGAR has also just released a solo folk album.

" It's all of the songs that I wrote that just seemed too lightweight for COUGAR"

Water II

Water II- oil painting 26" by 36"
One of the Pollution series
year-2001
.00 CAD