User:William Meyer/Work in Progress

Douglas Alfred Senft (born March 28, 1950, died September 11, 2012), was a Canadian sculptor, and teacher of art. Douglas was a prolific

and respected Canadian sculptor. His public art projects grace sites across Western Canada, the United States and Spain. His studio work is in many

private and public collections and he exhibited in public and private galleries. Douglas also taught sculpture for many twelve years at North Island

College in Courtenay. He was a dedicated, rigorous and inspiring teacher.

The natural landscape was his muse, and he was perfectionistic in rendering into material the beautiful shapes and patterns he saw in the world around him.

Douglas Senft was a practicing sculptor since 1972, when he graduated with honours from the Vancouver School of Art. He had numerous public commissions in Canada, the United States and Europe, as well as exhibiting his work in both public and private galleries. He was the recipient of several Canada Council grants, and his work is in private and public collections, The City of Vancouver Municipal Collection, The Art Bank of Canada and Washington State Arts Public Place Collection.

In 1990, Douglas began designing and fabricating welded steel art furniture and architectural elements and accessories. From 1990 – 2000 he ran a successful business working with a select number of high end contemporary showrooms in Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary and San Francisco. After 2000, his work was produced within the context of a limited special order, as the majority of his practice was devoted to the creation of public art projects. His last completed project was 'nest' which was installed at the Dollarton Business Park in North Vancouver BC. He was working on more public art proposals at the time of his untimely death from cancer.

He taught sculpture at North Island College in Courtenay, B.C.; he lived and worked in in Royston, B.C. Since 2008, he was joined in his work by his partner in love and work, Catherine Lavelle. Catherine collaborated on all of Douglas' public art pieces since 2008, and she completed two works that were left unfinished. She produced a solo piece that is installed in the International Sculpture Collection at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington Ontario, that also carries Senft's name as collaborator in the conceptualization of the work.