Vlismas, George

George Vlismas was born in Swansea, Wales in 1921. He studied at the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology and the Welsh School of Art. His studies were interrupted by four years of war service, with the Royal Air Force, which included two years in South Africa.

After the war, George returned to his studies and graduated as an instructor of Arts and Crafts.  During the years that he instructed, he received National Welsh Eisteddfod awards in Arts and Crafts. Later, George left education to pursue a career in industrial design. He became a registered industrial designer with the British Council of Industrial design. George qualified as a Production Engineer and afterwards graduated from university in Industrial Management.

In 1967, George and his family immigrated to Canada and settled in Port Moody. Initially, he worked as an engineer, but later as a consultant and manager with Canada Post until his retirement in 1985.

George’s hobby of painting, sculpting and carving, along with his interest in designing and building furniture, became more of a full-time pursuit during his retirement. For his sculptures, he worked mainly in hardwoods, but later branched out and produced numerous sculptures from a variety of stones. In addition, many of George’s sculptures have been cast in bronze.

George was a member of the Sculptors Society of BC. His work has been exhibited internationally and his collections can be found in the U.K., the U.S.A. and many parts of Canada.