The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1939-03-23
TED LAMBERT
VISITS HERE
ON WAY OUT
Knee Breeehed and Sour
dough Artist Doesn't
Like FriIls

When Teo lambert, well known
Alaska artist, arrives at a point in
his speedy career where his work
will be in demand from Maine TO
Barrow, those who know him will
rightfully say; He. came up the
hard way
Lambert did come up the hard
way. He hasn't used many notched
belt to combat pangs OF hungar IN
a Greenwich village attic room, but
he has had one thing TO contend
with that other artists in other parts
of the world probably haven't had
to face-the bitter cold of Boring Sea
waters that makes paints so stiff
they will not run.
A few years ago, Lambert decid-
ed to drop his muck stick and sea-
sonal mining work to put his talents
to work with undivided attention.
Shacks Up
He went down the Kuskokwim to
Bethel and renovated an old shack.
Through the winter he painted dill
gently, and watched his stove con-
sumo cords of wood and produce lit
tie heat in return.
Convinced that constant applica-
ton to his work was his only road
to success, young Lambert shut his
eyes to the way-below thermom-
eter, put on three wool shirts, a pain
of gloves, and placed his back as
close to the red hot stove as he could
But few feet away from the
stove, oil paints grew stiff and UNI
wieldy with the cold and Lambert
used frequently dashes of turpentine
to give the oils measure of fluency
Again, down in the Juneau banana
belt, Lambert did some water coloi
sketches near AUX Lake one whit
erish day, but the water in his col
ors on his pallet froze to slush.
Next time he went out to the lake
to paint on a cold day, Lambert
took chemical-sand heating pat
with him to place under his meta
pallet.
Unusual Artist
Lambert is an unusual artist in an
other sense. He is bordering on sue
cess, and making his living solely
with his paints, but unlike mos
artists who have even in a small
degree arrived" Lambert is young
He is SO yeras old, lean of body
red of face, vigorous of jaw ane
wears his brown mop of wild hail
short and bristling, rejecting hi'
vibrant personality. Medium height
you meet him dressed in forest greer
knee britches, leather boots, WOO
socks and forest green shirt open al
the front.
He prides himself on being "one
of the boys" in the backwoods count
ny and he doesn't care for frills.
His portrait work is commemorate
and yet he wants none of that.
you have to travel in society
go to tea parties. be politician
and all that sort of thing" Tee
says Most of the big-wigs want
a portrait done by a painter be-
cause photographer doesn't flat
ter them enough. That isn't. paint
ing"
It's been 10 years since Lambert
came to Alaska from Montana ano
the Yellowstone, and he elects tc
stay forever
He made money enough to con-
tinue his art studies by working ir
the mines of the Interior and in his
room at the Gastineau Hotel today
he talked with Hi Jacobsen, Jul
neau man, of 1880 days and shove
work in the Kennecott country.
Goes To Academy
With his money made out of the
bllsters and callouses of his hands
Ted went to the American Academy
of Art in Chicago and he also stud
led under E. P. Ziegler, one of the
Northwest's foremost artists.
Three years ago, Ted began ir
earnest and began to make his living