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June
Rain in the News A Letter From the Glenbow Museum Biography Born in Vientiane, Thép grew up in French occupied Laos. He was educated in French at the Lycée de Vientiane in Laos and was exposed to French painting, literature and classical music at a very young age. Marc Leguay was his memorial teacher from his early school days and has influenced him greatly. Monsieur Leguay was himself an artist, highly revered in Laos. He portrayed Lao life on canvas in the style of the times, and under his tutelage Thép came to know the Impressionist painters. Thép obtained the Baccalauréat from the Lycée de Vientiane and looked across the Pacific for higher education. He left Laos in 1967 when he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship for St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York where he studied and earned a degree in Diplomacy with a minor in Art. Following his graduation and armed with eight languages, Thép aspired to become a diplomat for Laos and later to work with the United Nations. Shortly after graduating, he returned to Laos and obtained a position in a field he believed was along his chosen career path. In 1972, 3 years before the end of the Vietnam war, Thép emigrated to Canada. He settled in Lethbridge, Alberta where he taught French at the University and English as a Second Language to new Canadians to help them assimilate into the new life they have chosen. During these experiences there was still something missing from Thép's life - what he really wanted to do was paint. | |||
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