visual sketches of furniture to be built to order. From a dusty corner. Grovd produces a collapsible dining chair. He pulls on the front legs: the chair opens. He presses the covered seat into the rails. The chair is complete. The curves of the chair are subtle and the craftsmanship obvious. "It took a week to design and build." comments Grove. "It took time to figure out how to build a chair that was both collapsible and strong." The words barely hint at the design challenge and the beauty of the piece. As he built the chair. Grove dealt with an intricate set of design criteria. He had moved with the chosen materials like the sailor moves with the sea. The dining chair was neither ancient nor modern. The chair had followed function and the capability of the materials. "It was not wanted by a Toronto exhibition." said Grove, shrugging his shoulders as if to suggest it was their loss and not his. Architect Charles Rennie MacKintosh of the Glasgow School of Art would have appreciated the chair. Thomas Jefferson would probably have wanted it for his home in Virginia. Back downstairs on the shop floor is a long dining table with legs of maple and a top of laminated oak. Grove worries about the visual strength of the piece. Hidden behind the table is a storeroom. Here are the paints and the glues. At,fist glance, that is it. A second glance spots a canvas, face toward the wall. It is held against the wall by a circular chair, destined for some place of sensuality, if not naughtiness. Grove plucks the canvas from behind the chair. As he lifts the canvas, he twists it to reveal an acrylic of stunning intensity. It's as if there is more than fluorescent light in the room. The painting is a profusion of dark, vine-like details flowing with tropical density. The Arts and Crafts movement of William Morris has been taken to another level. A brilliant orange vase sits firmly on the canvas floor. The vines appear to emanate from the vase, but that is only the beginning of the mystery. The Lava Group: a team of innovative designer/furniture builders. From left- right Doug Lane (sitting in chair), Timothy Lang, George Dorkace, Frank Polnao (sitting), Marcus Photo: Goran Basaric. Sabathil (kneeling) and Tony Grove. Behind vines is a brilliance of light, as strong as any revelation to an apostle on the road to Damascus. Grove is excited by being able to exhibit at the Ferry Building in West Vancouver. He likes to get feedback on his work, particularly from folks on the North Shore. He is also part of the Lava Group, a team of innovative designers/furniture builders, which has recently had exhibitions in Yaletown and the Hong Kong Bank of Canada on West Georgia Street. Finally, Grove will be participating in the Harmony Arts Festival (August 9-18) as one of 50 artists who have works on display in storefronts in the Dundarave and Ambleside business areas. Grove once planned to be a graphic designer destined for the world of commerce. Now, he sees himself a gentle rebel in the information age and says he goes home "100% satisfied" with what he's doing. The computer can wait.^ Groham Argyle is a registered who specializes in facilities architect N o Borders: this globe made from maple, black walnut and mahogany by Tony Grove will be on display in a Arts program. West Vancouver storefront during the Harmony Festival (August 9-18) as part of the ArtBeat planning. He is also host of the Arts Alive television show which airs every Tuesday and Sunday evening on the North Shore on Shaw Cable 4.