MALASPINA SEMINAR

| have to start this with a confession. I have
never before attended any of the seminars at Malas-
pina. I've always been curious about what happens
there, and what the place looks like, There aes
seemed to be an excuse: the time wasn't there, ort
thought of catching a seven o'clock ferry presented
something of a mental barrier. However, when the
offer of a workshop was ed to me by John
Charnetski, | thought, not?” A chance to meet
with some old fiends and acquaintances seemed
reason enough.

at Horseshoe Bay, tly burdened by the
Set le the Art School early, we were con-
nted by a lineup on the Upper Levels h .
oad ee since we were almost an hour
early, | had planned to be on the five o'clock ferry so
I would be in time for the Friday evening reception and
exhibition which would precede the seminar. We
would not get on the ferry tll six.

Once in Nanaimo, it started to rain, and it seemed
quite dark for seven- . We drove through
Nanaimo in record time only to find ourselves heading
closer to Chemainus! After some carnest backtrack-
ing we arrived at the College just in time to set up and
compose ourselves. Afterwards, we settled into our
rooom in Nanaimo's finest, the Coast Bastion (a lot of
familiar faces in the parking lot).

The next morning I went over my schedule: I would
have three sessions with enough time to attend two or
three sessions myself.

The College ts on a hill overlooking Nanaimo and the
nearby islands. It is quite a spectacular setting and
the weather was perfect, very warm and sunny.
During my first session I found myself having to think
on my feet. I was surprised by the large numer of
people and the enthusiasm of the participants. It was
a good turnout and I felt quite moved by the fact that
[was in the midst of a group of people who shared a
common interest, There was a real sense of commu-

nity.

That impression was to stay with me the rest of the
day. I had a chance to wander around and take in
some of the sessions before lunch, There would be so
much to see and I realized that I would not be able to
take In as much as! had planned.

I was particular oe a ai with Gordon Hutchens’
th idemo. | felt his sense forthe material and his
technical ability were clearly articulated and pre-
sented, Walter Dexter also had a very good presenta-
tion. His experience and knowledge of the raku
process was quite evident. Groups of people were
gathered between sessions exchanging information

and recommending workshops.

During a wonderful lunch presented by the culinary
instructors of the College, | managed to get together
with Graham Sheehan and several others to catch up
on news and chat about our general concerns and
interests.

After another session, I wandered about, noticing
things like people standing on chairs to get a better
view of Takako Suzuki's slip-trailing demo, the large
number of people at Laura Wee Lay Laq’s presenta-
tions, and Tom Harrison's informative presentation
on plaster molds. I kept running into John who was
making sure everything was nunming smoothly, while
also trying to attend a lecture or demo,

By the end of the day. many people were visibly
drained by the intensity of the day's events. John, his
staff, the student assistants, and the College must be
ees pe ei for the wonderful job organizing and

osting this event. [t ts a great opportunity to meet
people from all over the province and I would highly
recommend attending the next Malaspina Seminarf

Sam Kwan

LAMBERT ... Cont'd

As the business expanded, a proportion of the profit
went to help native Indian artists, with scholarships,
loans, and jobs. But Lambert's creativity and sense of
humour are better appreciated in his sgraffito design
than in the Indian theme series. Inspired by petro-
glyphs, Lambert produced the “Little Stick” ware. The
stick-like drawings were what he “thought the first
people would have looked like, and what they would
have occupied their time with".

Now and then Lambert took a break from his busy
schedule to make sculptural ceramics. Some of the
Pieces are related to episodes in his private life. “A
Bundle of Nerves” is the result of his obsession with
tubes after a heart attack in 1973. During that period,
he turned to writing poetry and es Two
published books, “Cracks in my Sidewalk” “Three
Lifetimes Ago” are testimony of his optimistic outlook
on life, The prints made on clay blocks are reminiscent
of both the Indian motifs and the sgraffito drawings.

For Lambert, was a way of life and pottery an
essential part of tt. With the help of his wife Elfrida,
a well-known weaver, he came very close to realizing
the ideal of self-sufficiency.

David Lambert served as president of the Potters
Guild of B.C., and was made a Life Member in 1977
when the Olea Davis and David Lambert Incentive
Awards were instituted.

Born September 25th, 1919, in Vancouver, David
9 ape at his home in Ryder Lake, B.C., on July
17, 1985.

Excerpts from the introduction to the
Exhibition,” D. Lambert: Vancouver's
First Potter", Sept 17-Nov, 3, 1984, at
the Cartwright Gallery, Vancouver

Elsa Schamis, Curator