Robson, Lari
Item
Maker Name
Robson, Lari
Biography
Lari Robson graduated from the Vancouver School of Art in 1967 where he studied with reg Dixon and Leonhard Epp, fellow students, Wayne Ngan, Heinz Laffin and Richard Hawbolt.. He set up his first studio on Galiano Island. Fellow VSA student, Richard Hawbolt, visited Lari on Galiano Island and he set up his own studio there. Lari later moved to Saltspring Island where he made pottery until his death in 2012. Lari was a close friend of Sam Kwan's.
His interest in Japanese pottery lead him to visit Japanese folk potteries in the mid 70s.
According to Diane Carr, Robson made tenmoku and shino ware until about 1986 and salt and wood-fired work thereafter. While he sold his work through the Potter's Wheel (Victoria) and the House of Ceramics (Vancouver) in the early 70s, he mainly sold his work at markets on Saltspring Island. Friend and Saltspring potter, Gary Cherneff, referred to Lari as “Saltspring Island’s Village Potter.”
As artist profiles are being written it has become apparent that the notion of 'Village Potter' has been and continues to be a distinctive element of BC ceramic culture. Since the era of 'back to the land' in the 1970s, many fine Production potters have quietly settled into their rural communities, and espousing the Leach 'Mingei work /live lifestyle, have survived selling locally; Darrell Hancock, Robert Bush, Dave Dobie, Meg Buckley, Heinz Laffin, Gerhard Kozel, Gunda Stewart, Gary Cherneff, Herman Venema, and the Haida Gwaii potters, Jennifer and John Davies, to name a few.
This 'tradition' persists and in every small town and along the BC freeways, small artisan shops can be found. Since the 2000s these artists have had the advantage of the internet, however, they are still devoting a lifetime of work and contribute enormously to their local communities.
His interest in Japanese pottery lead him to visit Japanese folk potteries in the mid 70s.
According to Diane Carr, Robson made tenmoku and shino ware until about 1986 and salt and wood-fired work thereafter. While he sold his work through the Potter's Wheel (Victoria) and the House of Ceramics (Vancouver) in the early 70s, he mainly sold his work at markets on Saltspring Island. Friend and Saltspring potter, Gary Cherneff, referred to Lari as “Saltspring Island’s Village Potter.”
As artist profiles are being written it has become apparent that the notion of 'Village Potter' has been and continues to be a distinctive element of BC ceramic culture. Since the era of 'back to the land' in the 1970s, many fine Production potters have quietly settled into their rural communities, and espousing the Leach 'Mingei work /live lifestyle, have survived selling locally; Darrell Hancock, Robert Bush, Dave Dobie, Meg Buckley, Heinz Laffin, Gerhard Kozel, Gunda Stewart, Gary Cherneff, Herman Venema, and the Haida Gwaii potters, Jennifer and John Davies, to name a few.
This 'tradition' persists and in every small town and along the BC freeways, small artisan shops can be found. Since the 2000s these artists have had the advantage of the internet, however, they are still devoting a lifetime of work and contribute enormously to their local communities.
First name
Lari
Last name
Robson
Career dates (start and end)
1970
2012
Date of Birth
1942
Date of Death
2012
Place of Birth
Vancouver, British Columbia
Place of Death
Studio location
Formal Education
Major Exhibitions
Mid 70s Potters Wheel, Victoria
1973, 1974 House of Ceramics (with R. Hawbolt) and group shows
1991 Choosing Clay (group), Canadian Craft Museum, Granville Island
1983 Darkware, Cartwright Gallery, Vancouver, curated, Glenn Allison (To be Confirmed)
1992 "Saltware Reviewed" (group), Gallery of BC Ceramics, Vancouver
2002 "Darkware or Temoku " Canadian Clay and Glass Museum, Kitchener, ON, curated, Glenn Allison
to be confirmed
to be confirmed
2012 Back to the Land, Ceramics from Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. 1970-1985 AGGV, Diane Carr
2013 High Fire Culture, Satellite and Belkin Galleries, Vancouver, Norah Vaillant
2017 Dream Islands, Nanimo Art Gallery, group show, Jesse Birch.
Collections
Nanaimo Art Gallery
Affiliated organizations
Links to Further Resources
Back to the Land exhibition catalogue AGGV, 2012
“Remembering Lari Robson” Diane Carr, Potters Guild of BC Newsletter, September, 2012
https://bchdp.arcabc.ca/islandora/object/arch-bc%3Aroot
https://bchdp.arcabc.ca/islandora/object/arch-bc%3Aroot
Youtube video, Dexter Robson, 2012
Source
Debra E. Sloan
Allan Collier
Item sets
Linked resources
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