John Charles Terelak was born in 1942 in Boston, Massachusetts, and received his formal art instruction at the Vesper George School of Fine Art. His love for painting and thorough understanding of color theory and artistic technique led him to become Headmaster of Gloucester Academy of Fine Art. Terelak also served as the President of the New England Watercolor Society, and as the demand for his work grew, it eventually led him to devote all his energy as a full-time artist.

Recognized as one of America's finest living traditionalists and impressionists, Terelak’s use of color and rich surface texture are hallmarks of his paintings. While the subject matter of his paintings is diverse, his loves to set his easel "Au plein air" and capture the passing light with his brushwork; he is able to share his gift for observation and the ability to paint with freshness and emotion the world as he perceives it. Terelak’s paintings may capture the tranquility of an early spring morning in the Vermont countryside, the beaches of Cape Cod in the summer, the snow covered mountains of New Hampshire, the great harbors of New York, the hustle and bustle of Times Square, a rainy Boston day, the serenity of the French countryside, a woman hanging her laundry, or a boy out for a late afternoon horse ride.

While patiently exercising the appropriate creative technique, his pieces reveal a beautiful depth and texture. Working with oils, watercolor, or pastel, and using an intricate system of layered paint and glazing, Terelak plays off one color against another, creating color harmonies that evoke distinctive moods and feelings. While taking all the time necessary to place each brushstroke, the work itself, and the feelings that it produces, is what brings the beauty of his surroundings into the richer scene of each painting he completes.

Terelak’s paintings are included in several private and public collections throughout the United States, like the Andrew Mellon Foundation, the Sheraton Corporation, the Winthrop Financial Corporation, Prudential Insurance Company, Bank of Boston, Shawmut Bank, State Street Bank of Boston, and Sterling-Regal Publishing Company. His works can be found in important and permanent exhibitions at the National Academy of Design, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Springfield Museum, and the Butler Museum, among others.