DEREK MICHAEL STUART

The Sculptor

pictureDerek is interested in creation/design, both artistic and technical. From age 8 to 11 years he attended “Saturday Morning Painting” at the Vancouver School of Art (now known as the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design). His father owned a die-casting foundry where he worked after school and weekends with tool and die and foundry equipment. By twelfth grade he had twice won the B.C. Youth Science Fair.


After graduating from University of British Columbia with combined Physics/Chemistry degree, Derek sailed to the Polynesian Archipelago, including the Marquesas Islands (final resting place of Paul Gauguin). Upon his return to “civilization” he spent a number of years with Carbitron EDM Corp. designing, engineering and manufacturing electronic machine tools.


Then, from 1976 to 1978, he studied sculpture and bronze casting at the Vancouver School of Art under the late sculptor Jack Harman. During this period, he created a number of bronze sculpture maquettes and in 1977 received a commission to produce a one meter tall enlargement of one of the maquettes, “Freydal (The walking woman)”, for the Coquitlam Centre in Coquitlam, B.C.


When finances dictated, he returned to “real” work ; first at TRIUMF at the University of British Columbia and later at CREO Products Inc., as a senior-designer in electro-optic research and development. As a member of the CREO design team, Derek was awarded the 1992 B.C. Science and Engineering Gold Medal Award for his part in the design of the CREO Optical Tape Recorder.


In 1996 he was accepted into Capilano College Art Institute program where he studied sculpture and ceramic-shell casting of bronze, under the guidance of sculptor George Rammell, the facilitator of the casting of the large bronze sculptures of Haida sculptor, Bill Reid.


Subsequent to this two year study/work experience, Derek set up a home/studio space on Bowen Island, complete with bronze foundry.


The primal allure of light and colour combined with his sculptural inclinations, has drawn Derek to the world of “cire- perdue “ (lost wax) casting of glass. His studio now includes the specialized materials and equipment required to cast sculptural glass.



DEREK MICHAEL STUART

Education
1952-1955    Vancouver School of Art, B.C., Canada
1956-1960    Apprentice in family metal casting facility
1961-1965    University of British Columbia, Canada; B.Sc. in Physics and Chemistry
1975-1977    Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, B.C., Canada
1996-1998    Capilano College Art Institute, B.C., Canada
Work Experience
  • Creative endeavors that include both technological innovations and figurative sculpture.
  • Extensive experience in the casting and electroplating industries.
  • Award-winning innovations and patents in electronic machine tools.
  • Senior designer for award-winning CREO optical tape recorder.
  • B.C. Science Council Gold Medal for Engineering Excellence 1992.
Group Exhibitions
1996    Bowen Artists: Bowen Island BC
1997    Bowen Artists
1998    Bowen Artists
1999    Bowen Artists
2004    The Portfolio Gallery
2005    B.C.G.A.A. Member's Exhibition "translucent/transcendent" Round House Vancouver BC
2006    B.C.G.A.A. Member's Exhibition "transform/transmit/translate" Round House Vancouver BC
2006    "Sand and Soda" Contemporary Trends in Warm Glass North Vancouver Community Arts BC
Private Commission
1977    “Freydal” the walking woman – installed at the Coquitlam Centre in Coquitlam,              British Columbia
1978    To Present - Various private collectors