Seven years ago, Judson Beaumont stood before 800 people at a PechaKucha in Vancouver and talked about his love for woodworking, sculpture and architecture.
And the Burnaby resident and owner of Straight Line Designs came away from that experience so invigorated that he wanted to repeat it.
"It recharged my batteries."
What Beaumont cherished so much was being surrounded by craftspeople, educators and advocates, all of whom shared their hopes and dreams.
"It really didn't matter what their medium was: It was the fact that they had drive and they were motivated every day."
Beaumont will be one of 12 speakers who will be discussing their skills and talents - as well as showing 20 images of their work, at 20 seconds each - at Volume 9 of PechaKucha Night in Coquitlam, happening on Feb. 14 at the Evergreen Cultural Centre.
Beaumont plans to display on screen some of his unique commissioned pieces for his clients, who include Disney, Vancouver International Airport and Princeton University.
His playful, yet functional pieces take a long time to come to fruition, Beaumont said. "It looks nice when it's finished but people don't realize how hard it is to get to that point."
Beaumont employs seven people in his Vancouver studio, which he got after graduating from Emily Carr University of Art + Design in 1985, with a degree in 3D sculpture.
He likes to hire tradespeople while their young "with the eagerness to want to learn," he said. "In a way, I almost have my own little school here. I like to see them develop their talents."
Often, Beaumont speaks to college and university students about having an edge in the competitive market.
"The reason why I do what I do is because I never wanted art school to end," he said. "I loved Emily Carr so much. When they say you have to leave after three or four years, you think, 'What am I going to do? How do I finance my art career?'
"My advice is to follow your dream. Come up with your own signature, your own look."
PechaKucha Coquitlam Volume 9 - a presentation by ArtsConnect and the Evergreen Cultural Centre - is at 7:30 p.m. at Evergreen (1205 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam). For tickets at $12, call ECC at 604-927-6555 or go online at evergreenculturalcentre.ca.
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PKC presenters:
Britt Andersen, community advocate
Maria Bayer, educator
Judson Beaumont, artist/designer
Heidi Hass Gable, educator
Shannon Lazarotto, ceramic artist
Gordon Lewis, minimalist
Leslie Michael Jr., financial educator
Keith Rice-Jones, ceramic artist
Saskia Vaisey, activist
Robbin Whachell, writer
Chris Wilson, athlete/educator
Chris Wong, sculptural wood artist
