north shore

larry Redi recalls San Fran days

Y ROBERT GALSTER
ontributing Writer

ERTAIN Lower Mainland
vents appear to be just a tad
ut.of proportion against the

ocal backdrop.
« Whether it’s the Three Tenors
inpearing at GM Place or Liz
ylor “popping by Eaton's,
lere’s something peculiar about
juxtaposition of the worldly
let. against Vancouver, more
ften than not a city tinged with
lomething of the inferior.
Although he isn’t talked about
often, Harry Redi’s presence in
guiet North Vancouver neighbor-
mood falls in the same category.
i. The Austrian-born 69-year-old
best-known. for his work as a
hotographer for Time Life publi-
ations in the early sixties, but it is
is earlier work that is currently
ringing the accomplished pho-

grapher to the fore. As a young

nan struggling to find a meani
ul’ way of supporting himself,
ed] fell into photography after o
tring of odd jobs that, as he puts
‘took good on book jackets.”
Living j in the 1200 block of
gyle Avenue’ — ‘an area. of
fest Van that has since become a
layground — Redl soon started
ing commercial photographs
an the early fitties. These includ-
wd. relatively unexciting events
uch as weddings. Everything at
Shis point was fine and dandy
xcept for one little detail.
oL:was working for nothing,”
id Redl. ‘I didn't know what to
lo. Lcouldn’t see a way of making
‘decent living .with my camera
d still have a life worth living. qt
st didn't make any sense.”
So he did what any right-zhink-

ing young ‘man’ in his. position.

vould do, He up and left.

““T went to Mexico and took a.

Bct of pictures, not one of which
has ever been printed anywhere.
was a total disaster.”
‘It turned out to be something
ess than a total disaster because
n his way south Red] passed

through San Francisco. During a
brief stop in the city by the bay
he made a mental noice iv return
the following summer.

“Suddenly | was confronted
with all these creative people,”
remembers Redl. “Everybody
around me seemed to be working
on something. It was always
something that had to do with the
arts in one way or another.”

Before too long he found him-
self taking pictures of the people
he was meeting. His stroke of
genius was not so much that he
started taking the pictures in the
first place, but how he chose his
subjects. Rather than shooting
j d

bjects for sug-
gestions. When a name came up
more than once, Red] would f
ret them out. :
He spent a total of three years
in San Francisco, in all pho
tographing some [25 artists. His
subjects’ names read fike a list of
who’s who of an entire generation
of artists: William Carlos
Williams, Lawrence Ferlinghetti,
Kenneth Patchen, Anais Nin,
Henry Miller, Philip Lamantia.
Robert Creeley, Allen Ginsberg,
Ansel Adams, The list goes on and

they all share being captured by.

Redl's lens at a time when only a
select few were aware of the con
centration of talent in the ar
These images are on show at the
Exposure Gallery until Aug. 4.

But, all was not rosy for Red
— even during the heady days
that were San Francisco in the
late ‘50s.

“The income was a problem
because the people I photographed
—,90% of them didn't have any

. money cither — and those that had

wouldn't give me any.

“What I wound up. with was a
tot of books and a lot of drawings
and a lot of paintings,” said Redi.-
In fact many are still in his pos-
session making his an impressive
collection, Cne of the writers
Redl remembers shooting is none
other than Henry Miller.

“tT went up (to the house in

Big Sur) and said, ‘Mr, Miller.
I'm one of your most ardent and
most recent fans and I'm a pho-
tographer, And I'd like to take
your picture and I’m not going to
go away. So have a heart and ask

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

me if  wanta cup of coffee.’

NEWS photo Brad Ledwidge
HARRY Red! stands behind a few of his subjects at his
North Vancouver home. At right, perhaps Red!’s best-
known subject, Henry Miller, strikes a pose.

Miller didn't disappoint and
invited Redl in.
“There were book shelves full

Government of Ci
Arts Gallery (W.V. Memorial
rom the

Library):
Dark, work
and wate
Wilfred Al
31: Local

merging

in pene

rcolors

by

See Camera page 16

pastels,
artist

inas, Ju 29-Aug.

Scenes,

and egg tempera
Michael Brouillet, July 29- Aug.

3
4. The

Dundarave

v

NEWS photo Mike Waketleld

watercolors

s by

Cafe:

AN exhibition of acrylic
and oil paintings by Ollie
“Pritchard opens Aug. 6
‘and runs to Aug. 11 at the
Silk Purse Arts Centre,
1570 Argyie, West
Vancouver.

Fourteen oil paintings by
Vancouver resident Ruth Ditto
xhibited until Aug. 30 at 2427
Marine Dr. W.V.

Ferry Building Gallery Hot

Sun. [2
Info: 92
Sik Purse Arts Centre: Arr
Exhibition, pastels and oil paint-
ings by Rits Monaco and Tony
Bruno, July Aug. 4. Art
Exhibition, acrylic and oil paint-
ings by artist Ollie Pritchard.
Gallery hours: Tuesday to
Friday [1 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday
and Sunday 12-5 p.m. Info:
925-7292.

Seymour Art Gallery: Male
Time, oi) paintings on canvas by
artist Bruce Perry, shows soul-
ful portraits of men depicting

Spm.
7290.

SSS ame

the journey of life, Seymour Art
Gallery lobby, to Aug. 19. My
Ocean, My Coast, watercolors
by West Vancouver artist: and
sailor Colin Hempsall. exhibi-
tion continues to Aug, 18. Info:
924-13

District of North Vancouver
Hall: Mind, Body and Spirit,
exhibition by Capilano College
Photographic Media Arts
Program, to Aug. 31. Glass-and
metal worky Structure, CT@s ated
by artist Robert Studer, to Aug.
31,

West Vancouver Museum and
Archive West Vancouver
Collects! Exhibition features
W.V. schools, photography and
Lawson Family collections
from the Museum and Archives
as well as personal collections
from some W.V. residents. Last

See more page 21