Walter Dexter was born in Alberta in 1931 and received his diploma in ceramics from the Alberta College of Arts in Calgary, after which he continued his studies at the Swedish School of Arts and crafts with the help of a Swedish government scholarship. After returning to Canada, he worked at his craft and taught in various schools, colleges, and universities across Canada. From 1968 to 1974, he was head of the clay department at the Kooteny School of Art in BC. For over three and a half decades, Dexter worked out of his own studio, developing a reputation as a master craftsman whi produced high quality stoneware and internationally recognized raku. Dexter exhibited in Italy, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, England, Finland, the United States and Canada. In 1962 he received a silver medal at the International Ceramics Exhibition in Prague and the Outstanding Stoneware Award in the Canadian Ceramics Biennial. In 1992 he received the Saidye Bronfman Award for Excellence in the Crafts. From 1976 to 1978 he was President of the BC Craftsmen’s Association and Provincial Director of the Canadian Crafts Council. In 1979 he co-edited “The Art of the Earth” (Sono Nis Press) with his wife, writer Rona Murray. From 1995 to 2012 Dexter developed a body of colourful abstract works called “torso vases”, named after their distinct upper-body type shape. Dexter passed away in 2015. ARTIST INFO: https://studioceramicscanada.com/walter-dexter/ (Accessed November 14, 2016)
