The Other Press

 

 

Wild Walls: The Cafeteria
Gets A Facelift

by Peter Healy

When artists Ken Walters,
LIsa McKee, Randy Ander-
son, Wil Sigurdson and Don-
ald Cuff were finished, and
satisfied, with the job they
had done of transforming
our cafeteria, we were left
with an imaginative scene of
lush green foliage and a
myriad of creatures replac-
ing the solid colour walls
which have been the stand-
ard in recent years.
Vancouver -born creator of
the design, Ken Walters
says there was strong sup-
port from the administration
during the project, other
than a few comments sug-
gesting that the mural would
be put_to better use in a

twelve year old’s bedroom.

Undeterred, the group of
five art students worked
until late August to finish
their mural.

According to Walters, this
project has more than simp-
ly aesthetic value. Douglas
College is, apparently, the
only institution which offers
training in murals. When
the mural was completed
each participating artist had
learned much about the
intricacies of doing murals,
making presentations and
receiving commisions. Thus
even the most ardent critics
of the-project cannot write it
off as a waste of time or
money, as it was an educat-

ional experience for those
who participated. ;

This project was not trust-
ed to just any amatuer.
Overseeing the project was

Fine Arts instructor JIm
Adams. Walters is not new
at this eithér. Ay toe

hundred foot by twenty five
foot mural in the NOrth
Surrey United Church is
evidence of that, as well as a
six by sicty foot mural in the
Bear Creek art gallery with a
Year of The Child motif.
The 38 year old Walter is,
at this time, participating in
a four person show with
former D. C. student Judy
Jordison. That show can be
seen at the White Rock Art
Gallery until October third.

by Maria Dawson

A collection of art work by
Lyn Williamson, a Douglas
College student, will be on
display at the Surrey Trave-
lodge Inn, September 19th,
20th, and 21st. Lyn first
studied drawing at Douglas
College in 1971 with instru-
ctor Jim Adams. Her creat-
ivity extends into writing
and she is enjoying the
poetry class with Florence
McNeil at Richmond this
fall.

Born in New Westminster
and raised in the Fraser
Valley, Lyn’s art work com-
bines her love of people and
the B. C. landscape. The
mood may change but the
subject matter is always the
same; people, caught within
an intricate space in time,
and emphasized by soft, yet
high contrast colours. Her
drawings are concise, flow-
ing images encompassing
the full spectrum of our
emotional lives.Futuristic,
almost abstract watercolours
are a contrast to the detailed
pencil work, indicating the
artist’s ability to utilize
many medias. I have been
particularly touched by the
warmth of lyn’s work and
feel that this show, which
for the first time includes
some very early paintings, is
a great indication of her
personal growth and artistic

b development.

Lyn has been involved for
the past ten years at a
community level, instructing

painting and drawing to
children and adults, through
Surrey Parks and Recrea-
tion, The Centennial Art
Centre in Surrey, and her
own gallery, This- DAy
Studio of Art. Her paintings
and drawings are held in
treal, Toronto,
Prince George, Merritt,
Nanaimo, Victoria, and of
course Vancouver, and the
Lower Fraser VAlley. gallery
27, in Surrey, and Bracken-
dale Gallery in Squamish
also display her drawings
and paintings.

Winnipeg,

Lyn’s show last November,
at the Surrey Inn was well
attended with over 200
guests present. Many came
to browse and enjoy viewing
the art work, however others
came to take home a unique
and personnal piece of art

work. Much of the success
of last year’s show, Lyn
eredits to her friends help
with arranging the show.

She recalls with humour,
that un-expectedly the port-
able walls would not fit in
the hotel elevator. But
disaster was avoided and
eighteen walls were carried
up six flights of stairs!

The show promises to be
interesting and people are
wecome to drop in for cof-
fee. , The opening will be

Friday, 7 p.m.,Room 685,
at the Surrey Travelodge
Inn, 9850 Kinggeorse Hwv.

for more information call
Lyn at 531-6278.

Butterfield mesmerizes
Commodore audiences

by Julie Valenti

The small crowd of blues
fans that only half-filled
the Commodore Friday
evening, September Sth.,
were treated to a mesmeriz-
ing performance by harmon-
ica great ’paul Butterfield.
By the time he came on at
11:15, the die hard fans
were more than ready to
take in the powerful, emot-
ional wailings of this really
fine blues harpist.

Vancouver’s Kenny
Brown and the Pervaders
opened the evening with an
overly long though
commendable set of danc-
able, high energy boogie.
Next was a Seattly hand, the
Hawks, (who were Paul’s
back up band for the even-
ing). I didn’t hear their solo
set, having gone out for
fresh air and the sights and
sounds of Granville St. My
hiatus from the Commodore
treated me to some very
talented street musicians
playing rollicking traditional
folk songs to a large, foot
stomping crowd.

I re-entered the Commo-
dore to the sounds of one of
Paul’s trademark songs,
‘“‘Born in Chicago’’ (which
he was). Heading straight
for the stage, the blues
brothers and sisters stood
with obvious awe and res-
pect for the man in front of
them - he plays with mast-
ery ana trorce, neck muscies

throbbing, cheeks puffing in

Having grown up on Chi-
cago’s south side amongst a
large majority of blacks, this
white man absorbed a black
culture, a black feeling that
is indicative to blues music
and that he relates with
convincing emotion and per-
sonal style

In his earlier years he
associated with blues harp-
ists Jimmy Cotton and
Junior Wells, played black
clubs on Chicago’s south
side in the mid-sixties with
some of the cities finest
Negro bluesman and was
influenced greatly by other
harpists Little Walter and
Sonny Boy Williamson.

Musical training started
on the flute with the first
chair player of the Chicago
Symphony orchestra. Mus-
ical ‘‘hobbies’’ include horn
arrangements and piano
playing. But, in his own
words, his musical abilities
lie in the harmonica, an
ability he considers an un-
explainable gift, one he has
respect for and feels a
responsibility toward. His
music speaks of the wide
range of human emotion,
it’s relevant to black ,white
or any other ‘‘colour’’ cul-
ture. It’s humanness at its
highest, at its lowest. And,
as one of h is songs says, its
definitely ‘‘Blues With A
Feeling.’’

 

 

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