Kristian Krekovic and Bill Lewis

Chapter 35

I’m making a pause in recounting Helen’s wedding preparations to tell you about something curious that happened a couple of years before I arrived in Mallorca.

You may have read in my earlier posts entitled Vancouver Flashback about Bill Lewis, my first guitar teacher who had been giving lessons and working on guitar construction and repairs for George Bowden in his Mediterranean shop in Vancouver. And how one year Bill came over to Palma de Mallorca to help out in George’s guitar factory, located at the time in the Pueblo Español.

During that time, Bill was introduced to Kristian Krekovic, the Croatian portrait painter.

Krekovic was born in Bosnia in 1901 and after studying in both Vienna and Paris and living for a time with his wife in Peru, he settled in 1960 in Mallorca and became interested in Spanish art.

There he set about painting a large work depicting King Jaime I (James I) of Aragón (The Conqueror) showing his landing in Mallorca at Santa Ponsa in 1229, where together with his fleet of 155 ships he conquered the island, driving out the Moors.

As Krekovic was primarily a portrait painter he needed a model with strong facial features, preferably bearded, to represent King Jaime seated on a rock as he gazed out to sea.


I don’t know how they met, but Bill Lewis, Canadian, was the model and became the face of King Jaime I of Aragón.

Here he is in this now famous painting, with the artist standing beside it.


For a long time the painting hung in the Palma city hall – the Ayuntamiento, where I was to see it after my arrival in Mallorca but I believe it has been moved to the Hotel Marina Rey Don Jaime in Santa Ponsa (Mallorca).

There is now a city park and a museum devoted to Kristian Krekovic, who passed away in 1985 in Palma de Mallorca.

Here is another of Krekovic's paintings depicting Mallorquin women in their native costumes:


Photo credits of Krekovic's works go to:
The Croatian History Net.
Photo of Bill Lewis thanks to his daughter, Lyra Lewis, to whom I am most grateful.

Next: Cognac Gulch

Vancouver Flashback V

Chapter 17

Bill Lewis

(click to enlarge photos)

Bill Lewis was my first guitar teacher and a good friend. I met him when he returned to the Mediterranean Shop after taking master classes with Andres Segovia in California in 1964. Bill was then working as a guitar teacher in the shop owned by George Bowden. He also did repairs and adjustment to guitars in the workshop located in the back of the store on tenth avenue. As I mentioned back in Chapter 13, I came to the Mediterranean shop quite by accident and decided to take lessons in classical guitar. Bill was to be my teacher.

Renovated first shop exterior (click to enlarge)

He was a fairly tall man with an appearance and demeanor that was quite disarming.

He spoke in a frank, self assured and friendly manner that gave confidence to beginning students while impressing them with his knowledge.

He was kind, helpful and always inspiring, quick to laugh and soft-voiced when serious.

Renovated first shop interior

After I had been taking lessons for some months, George Bowden sent Bill to his Spanish guitar factory, Los Guitarreros de Mallorca, in Palma de Mallorca, where Bill was to learn more about guitar construction from the factory's expert, known as el maestro, José Ortí. Some months later, after Bill had returned to Vancouver, George sent Michael Dunn to Spain to replace him in the factory and to learn construction methods. By this time I was also teaching guitar to beginners and intermediate students.

Interior

Fast forwarding into time, George Bowden returned to the Mallorca factory and left the Mediterranean Shop in the hands of his son. Bill Lewis decided to start up his own shop 'Bill Lewis Music' on Broadway near Dunbar St. (Vancouver). Many of his friends and teachers from the Mediterranean shop, including myself, followed him and took part in setting up his business. I remember helping to paint the walls of the new shop. Bill, in mock seriousness, sent me up a tall ladder to paint part of the ceiling, handing me a large brush and paint can.

As I was gullible, I headed up the ladder determined to get to the top until halfway there, when my knees started to shake, I glanced down to see Bill laughing and motioning for me to come back down. He had a sense of humour and knew that I was easy prey for a joke.

Later, after I had moved to Spain and was teaching in Palma de Mallorca, I received a letter from Bill with photos of his renovated shop, a new exterior and an interior full of merchandise, as well as pictures of his workshop. By then Bill was a recognized figure in the Vancouver guitar scene.

Together with his brother Jack he was building electric guitars that were unique in their construction. Lewis Guitars were played by known performers and were treasured by those lucky enough to own one.

Bill's workbench

Bill's note re above photo

Bill later moved his business to new premises on the corner of Dunbar and Broadway St. My photos here are of the first location, after it was renovated.

More history of Bill Lewis and photos of his guitars can be seen on the web at these links:

Gilmourish.com

Raincoast B.C.

After some time Bill turned over the shop to his brother Jack, and formed Lewis Luthiers' Supply, providing woods and materials for guitar builders. During Bill's time working for George Bowden, he had been responsible for shipping western red cedar logs to the Mallorca factory in Spain for use as guitar tops. So together with his brother, he had paved the way for supplying wood for his own business.

Bill put together a cataloque of his materials which included information and tips on guitar building. He was later to sell out Lewis Luthiers' Supplies to Luthiers' Mercantile, a company in California.

Bill passed away in 1996 at an early age, leaving wonderful memories in the hearts of people who knew him. Those of us who were a part of the scene at both The Mediterranean Shop and Bill Lewis Music will never forget the warmth and camaraderie we shared.

Main workshop

Bill's note re above

There isn't much to see on the web about Bill Lewis, nor do I find any photos of him, all of which surprises me since he made such impressive contributions to Canadian guitar construction and innovation. I give my heartfelt thanks to Bill's daughter, Lyra Lewis, who was kind enough to send me copies of these beautiful photos of her father. Thanks Lyra, I'm so happy to be able to include them here.

And I must further point out the moving comment left here below by Ship, a former student, who was so influenced by the music and ambiance at both the Mediterranean Shop and Bill Lewis' Music. Thanks Ship for such a sincere and lovely postscript to my tribute to Bill Lewis. It's very rare that we hear from former students who come back many years later and say thank you.

Continue on to Chapter 18......Off to Mallorca

Go back to Chapter 16 - Vancouver Flashback IV - Robert C. Jordan & Barry Hall

Vancouver Flashback - I

Chapter 13

Sometimes a small step off the main road can lead to a life change. A detour from one’s customary path can at times be the passageway to another existence. So it was with me one day in Vancouver, when walking along Tenth Avenue in the early 1960s. I saw a store that I hadn't noticed before. 'The Mediterranean Shop' was written over the doorway and I was intrigued, so I walked in.
And there my life changed.


At the time, I was a young wife and mother of two little girls and I was searching for a creative outlet. My husband was just finishing university and we had no money for paints or art equipment.
My Vancouver Regional Library card was well worn but just reading wasn't enough. I had heard Andres Segovia playing classical guitar and was captivated by the special sound of that instrument.

So that day when I saw guitars hanging in The Mediterranean Shop I was drawn inside where I was greeted by a tall, grey-haired man who spoke with a slight British accent. He told me the guitars on the wall were made in his own factory in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. His name was George Moore Bowden and his guitar factory in Spain was called Los Guitarreros de Mallorca.


When I realized that here were Spanish-made guitars I enquired about lessons.....was there a teacher near? He responded that he had a good teacher named Bill Lewis who was at that time taking master classes in California with Andres Segovia but he would be returning soon to teach in the shop. Although I had no money for lessons, I signed up. I knew from where I could borrow an old nylon stringed guitar and that would have to do. (We were so poor that we reused teabags, stringing them up on a rail in the kitchen with clothespegs to dry until the next day.)

With my girls and my beehive hairdo in Stanley Park, Vancouver.

I was excited to start taking lessons from Bill Lewis. He was a man who played classical well and could impress me and others with his flamenco rasgueado, although that wasn't going to be my genre.

YouTube~rasgueado (Caution...it's very loud!)

I would be taking the Aaron Shearer Classic Guitar method. It was a surprise to learn that I’d be using a little footstool for my left foot. I hadn't noticed that classical guitarists didn't usually play with their guitar slung horizontally over one knee.

I took to the instrument with a passion. Since I’d had piano lessons and choir experience in the past, I could read music and had a knowledge of theory and harmony. After a few weeks I could also tune the guitar myself with the help of the little pitch pipe that was used for this.

Volume One of Aaron Shearer was my introduction to Classical Guitar and the book I was later to use for my beginner students. It was very well written and easy to follow.

At the time I’d also heard Julian Bream playing J.S. Bach’s Chaconne, written originally for violin in D minor,but heard first by me played on classical guitar.

Yehudi Menuhin plays Part one on You Tube.

Part two is on the same page.

Although we had only an old and very large tape recorder and no record player, I played that piece over and over again. Every day found me practicing scales, arpeggios and the first little studies of Aaron Shearer, in between caring for the small apartment and children. It was thrilling to be able to produce such sounds even from a simple and old guitar.

Chaconne - Part One

Chaconne - Part Two

Parts One and Two of the Chaconne by J.S. Bach played by Andres Segovia on guitar. (YouTube)

Then Mr. G. loaned me one of his Spanish made guitars. It was a model with a slightly longer neck, and I would have an even harder reach with the left hand fingers. He said he would like me to try it out as it was a bit different from his other models. I was finally able to start playing a real guitar that had been made in Spain. It sounded beautiful and I was in heaven!

Continue on to Chapter 14......Vancouver Flashback II - My Students and Edward R. Turner

Go back to Chapter 12......The Guitar Factory

Photo credit of G.Bowden to "Classical Guitar",
Newcastle - 1994, article by Ivor Mairants.