Adolph Schwenk
Adolph Schwenk was born in Dresden Germany in 1896. The son of George Schwenk, a famous local painter and muralist, he was exposed to painting and the arts throughout his young life. With the onset of World War I, Adolph found himself serving in the military and had to put any future plans on hold.
At the conclusion of the War, Adolph came to Canada in 1920 with some siblings to visit his brother in Alberta who had recently homesteaded on the prairie. After a year of pioneer life he decided to trek on foot to the Pacific coast before making his way down to California.
After walking the Hope-Princeton trail carrying only his food, a tarp and sketchbook, he ended up meeting Louise Bowman, a student at the University of Washington. Taken with this aspiring art student, Adolph abandoned his plans of California and returned to his brother's homestead.
While back in Alberta, Adolph recalled an exceptionally beautiful piece of land at the foot of Munson Mountain in Penticton. Thinking it would make an ideal settlement for a cooperative community, he had his father run an ad in the German newspaper "Junge Menschen" (Young Men) with the question; "Who wants to settle int he valleys of British Columbia?" A dozen applicants relied to the Dresden address and in February 1928 they set off to the Naramata bench to meet Adolph who had secured 20 acres on the Naramata Bench. For two years the group worked a farm there until it disbanded in 1930 due to the global financial crisis.
At the conclusion of the War, Adolph came to Canada in 1920 with some siblings to visit his brother in Alberta who had recently homesteaded on the prairie. After a year of pioneer life he decided to trek on foot to the Pacific coast before making his way down to California.
After walking the Hope-Princeton trail carrying only his food, a tarp and sketchbook, he ended up meeting Louise Bowman, a student at the University of Washington. Taken with this aspiring art student, Adolph abandoned his plans of California and returned to his brother's homestead.
While back in Alberta, Adolph recalled an exceptionally beautiful piece of land at the foot of Munson Mountain in Penticton. Thinking it would make an ideal settlement for a cooperative community, he had his father run an ad in the German newspaper "Junge Menschen" (Young Men) with the question; "Who wants to settle int he valleys of British Columbia?" A dozen applicants relied to the Dresden address and in February 1928 they set off to the Naramata bench to meet Adolph who had secured 20 acres on the Naramata Bench. For two years the group worked a farm there until it disbanded in 1930 due to the global financial crisis.
Louise Bowman
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Louise Bowman was born in 1900 in Sumas Washington, a descendant of United Empire Loyalists who left Pennsylvania during the American Revolution for Ontario before later founding Anacortes Washington. Growing up in Upper Sumas, on the Candadian side of the border, she was surrounded by a family of artists and painters.
Louise's ambition to become an artist herself began with her studies at University of Washington and it was there that she first met Adolph Schwenk. At the conclusion of her studies there, she was determined to pursue a career as an artist and this made her way San Francisco. Here she struggled to support herself as an artist, only doing portraits when clients could be found and also working in the Art department at Gump's department store to make ends meet. While in San Francisco she continued to correspond with Adolph, eventually accepting his invitation to visit his Okanagan home. |
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Settling on the Naramata Bench
Louise and Adolph were married in Penticton in 1929. They started a family with the births of their daughters Barbara and Lorna and their plan was to live as artists and farm an orchard on the side. Their reality was quite the opposite however. Finding work as painters proved difficult and the toil of orchard work - planting, pruning, irrigating, harvesting and marketing a variety of crops - was all consuming and yielded modest means.
In the summer of 1954, the charismatic Argentinian ceramicist, Reg Dixon of the Vancouver School of Art passed through Penticton to offer classes in pottery. Interested in taking the lessons "for pleasure," it was here that Louise go her start in ceramics. She showed immediate skill and promise as a potter and was encouraged by Dixon to pursue the craft and take further classes.
The impetus to study seriously came that same year. An Arctic front moved into the Okanagan Valley in November, killing a third of the orchards and damaging a great deal more. Looking for a new way to support themselves in light of this economic blow, Louise enrolled in classes at the VSA in winter months of 1955, studying with Dixon as well as David Lambert, with the aim of pursuing and furthering a pottery career.
Louise won two bursaries to attend UBC that summer where she developed her craft under the tutelage of BC luminaries such as Rex Mason, Hilda Ross, Olea Davis and Zoltan Kiss. It was there that she also studied sculpture with the famed Cubist, Alexander Archipenko, and pottery with Charles Lakofsky from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. For his part, Adolph began to study decorating, glazing and firing from John Reeve and Glen Lewis.
In the summer of 1954, the charismatic Argentinian ceramicist, Reg Dixon of the Vancouver School of Art passed through Penticton to offer classes in pottery. Interested in taking the lessons "for pleasure," it was here that Louise go her start in ceramics. She showed immediate skill and promise as a potter and was encouraged by Dixon to pursue the craft and take further classes.
The impetus to study seriously came that same year. An Arctic front moved into the Okanagan Valley in November, killing a third of the orchards and damaging a great deal more. Looking for a new way to support themselves in light of this economic blow, Louise enrolled in classes at the VSA in winter months of 1955, studying with Dixon as well as David Lambert, with the aim of pursuing and furthering a pottery career.
Louise won two bursaries to attend UBC that summer where she developed her craft under the tutelage of BC luminaries such as Rex Mason, Hilda Ross, Olea Davis and Zoltan Kiss. It was there that she also studied sculpture with the famed Cubist, Alexander Archipenko, and pottery with Charles Lakofsky from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. For his part, Adolph began to study decorating, glazing and firing from John Reeve and Glen Lewis.
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Okanagan Pottery Studio
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While away at the VSA, Adolph built Louise a kiln out of an old washing machine and a kick wheel with the parts. When Louise returned they set about establishing their new studio in the basement of their log home. They found their first source of clay in the valley around Kelowna about 40 miles from their front door. These early Schwenk pieces show a characteristic reddish clay along with a painted signature on the bottom. Already by late 1956 their work was admired being admired and sought out by local buyers.
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As their reputation and clientele grew, the need to find a new source of clay so they bought from Luke Lindoe at Plainsmans Clay in Medicine Hat. Two additional electric kilns soon became necessary as well as an expansion to the basement studio - which Adolph accomplished by hand with a shovel and a bucket. The Schwenks considered themselves "artist potters" and as such they created an abundance of forms - primarily functional tableware but also whimsical and sculptural creations. They also developed some recognizable "signature" glazes - such as turquoise, black lustre, and a dark brown glaze made from the ash of applewood.
Recognition - locally and nationally
Coffee set awarded Honours at the Candian National Exhibition in 1966 and selected as part of the National Gallery Cenetennial Touring Show.
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As word of their work spread, the Schwenks quickly received accolades from across Canada. A sampling of their awards include:
- an exhibition at the Cameo Studio on Main Street in Penticton - a 100 piece exhibition at the Nelson Centennial Art Show - award at the Biennial pottery show at the Vancouver Art Gallery - selection for the All Canada Pottery Shows in Toronto and Montreal - full feature article in Western Living magazine, April 1961 - two consecutive awards at the Canadian National Exhibition - selection of their work at Government House in Victoria - selection for the National Gallery Centennial Touring Show - work exhibited in the Canadian Arts and Crafts Guild in Montreal The crowning achievement of recognition for the Schwenks was the award of a Senior Craftman's Fellowship from the Canadian Council in 1966 which would allow them to study abroad in Europe for a year. |
Final Years and Legacy
When travelling on their Canadian Council Grant in the fall of 1966 the Schwenks first stopped in St. Ives and studied at the pottery of Bernard Leach. Sadly, their plans were forever altered when Louise passed away in Devon from a sudden heart attack.
Adolph continued on and travelled Europe for a year on the Grant, visiting Spain, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, Denmark, France, Holland and his native Dresden, before returning to Penticton and to the pottery studio. In all he visited over 60 potters in nine countries. His highest praise was reserved for the Danes, saying "they have good honest forms and interesting glazes, and with it all, a great variety of individual approaches."
With help from Frances Hatfield and some young apprentices, the Schwenk Studio remained open until Adolph's passing in 1968. A fitting tribute to their work and reputation came in 1971 during Queen Elizabeth II's royal visit to British Columbia. During a stop in the Okanagan, Princess Anne was presented with a piece of Schwenk pottery as a gift from the people of Penticton.
In just over a dozen years, Louise and Adolph Schwenk succeeded Axel Ebring in establishing a successful local pottery in the Okanagan valley - one that would earn local and national acclaim.
Examples of their work can be found residing in the Penticton Museum as well as the National Gallery.