David Lambert was the one of the founders of the B.C. Pottery Guild. After his service in WW2, he decided to create a pottery in Vancouver. (1945 -1971) then (1972 - 1979 in Sardis, B.C.) At that time, there were no suppliers of clays and glazes. So, he sourced his materials from chemists and plumbing supply companies. The clay originally came from dug deposits near Fort George, B.C.
Eventually, Lambert was supplying other potters and created a pottery program for the Vancouver School Board.
Fairly early, David identified a need for the preservation of West Coast Native designs. This work was done by several pottery methods - hand throwing, jiggering (a mould process) and hand pressing into moulds. The shapes were handpainted by employees and the pottery shape was sometimes created to fit a certain design as in the Eagle below.
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| The pottery was produced with an electric kiln. There are approximately 46 different designs. One of the more sought after designs are his stickmen. There are a variety of marks - some hand printed, stamped or a combo of both as in the Skookum cup below. |  |
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Lambert’s work is heavily collected. The tiny lines that you can see on the surfaces are not damage but crazing caused by age, use or firing practices. I have been told that, due to the shortages after WW2 of European imports, his work was sold in many department stores in Canada and U.S.A. |