Walter Dexter

Walter Gibson Dexter (October 3, 1931 – June 2, 2015) was a Canadian ceramist, potter and teacher. He went on to receive the Diploma in Ceramics from the then Alberta College of Art in 1954. Lindoe continued to be a mentor to Dexter long after he completed his studies. His efforts in seeking to enter a Masters program or find a position teaching pottery did not come to fruition. However, he was offered a scholarship by the University of Manitoba to attend the Swedish School of Arts and Crafts in Stockholm where he continued his studies of ceramics. By the early 1970s Dexter had discovered contemporary Raku technologies. When American ceramists Paul Soldner and Hal Reigger were in Nelson he attended their workshops. Based on his own experimentation and learned techniques he became known for his raku ceramic works. His sketch books for the torso vases reveal the essence of the development of these forms. Vessels and plate forms make up a substantial part of his work. These pieces are often decorated with dancing figures. He was drawn to this motif by his study and collaboration with the American ceramist Paul Soldner.

Selected collections Dexter's works are held in the following public collections; Claridge Collection, Montreal, Quebec Canada Council Art Bank, Ottawa Ontario Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, Waterloo, Ontario Canadian Museum of Civilization, Gatineau, Quebec; Confederation Centre Art Gallery and Museum, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta Burlington Art Gallery, Burlington, Ontario Alberta Foundation of the Arts, Alberta Winnipeg Art Gallery, Manitoba

Honours and awards Silver Medal, International Ceramics Exhibition, Prague, 1962 Member, Royal Canadian Academy of Arts

Commissions Dexter created a raku Donors' Wall for the Saanich Peninsula Municipal Hospital in Victoria, a major public commission in British Columbia.

Academic positions Dexter was a pottery instructor at a number of academic institutions in Western Canada between 1960 and 1974. From 1967 until 1974 head of Ceramics at the Kootenay School of Arts in Nelson, British Columbia. The other positions that he held were; Instructor, Vancouver Community College, Vancouver, British Columbia,

About Dexter Amy Gogarty, Book Review - Walter Dexter by Jonathon Bancroft-Snell in BC Potters Newsletter, 4 May 2102 at p. 11 Gloria Hickey, Book Review - Walter Dexter by Jonathon Bancroft-Snell Walter Dexter: the torso masterworks by Jonathon Bancroft-Snell, Studio Artist Series No.1, Toronto, Ronald P. Frey + Co., 2012, , 190 pages, Publication announcement. Walter Dexter - Three Sketchbooks edited by Jonathon Bancroft-Snell, Limited edition of 50, including 5 numbered and signed prints, Toronto, Ronald P. Frey + Co., 2012, , 134 pages, Publication Information Walter Dexter by Brian Gibson in Ceramic Art 2009 Walter Dexter by Brian Gibson in Ceramics Monthly December 2008

Administrative positions Walter Dexter has held a variety of executive positions in arts organizations. In 1978, he was the president of the Craftsmen's Association of British Columbia and a director of the Canadian Crafts Council. Tribute was a retrospective exhibition (2007) focusing primarily on Walter's the Torso vases that were the primary focus of the book Walter Dexter published in 2012.

Group exhibitions International Ceramics Exhibition, Prague, Czechoslovakia (1962) Abstracts at Home II (2012) featuring Painters Eleven artist William Ronald and Walter Dexter, Jonathon Bancroft-Snell Gallery, London, Ontario

Personal life After his first marriage ended in divorce Dexter moved to British Columbia to take up a teaching position in Nelson. While living in Nelson, he met Canadian writer and poet Rona Murray. They were married while he was teaching at the Kootenay School of Art. After he left that position they moved to Surrey and then, in 1975, to Metchosin on Vancouver Island. There they became part of the arts community. Since the death of his spouse he has lived in Victoria, British Columbia. He continued to work in his studio and participate in the arts community. Walter Dexter RCA died on June 2, 2015, at the age of 83 in Victoria, British Columbia.