Even though my time at the Canadian Clay Symposium was a little limited, due to my volunteering time, and all these amazing workshops going on simultaneously, I did manage to pop into
Gailan Ngan's workshop and artist talk for some brief moments. Gailan and I go back to our Emily Carr days where we shared a studio space together at the school in our 4th year, graduated together and we've managed to keep in touch since, so I've seen Gailan at work before. Basically raised to be a potter, Gailan's dad,
Wayne Ngan is one of Canada's most respected and well-known Potters. Gailan and her sister were brought up on
Hornby Island to breath and live out the pottery lifestyle of their dad. Gailan started her own little cornershop pottery studio out of what used to be a convenient store in the Strathcona part of East Vancouver back in 1997. Since then, she's carved out a niche for her pottery, to the point where her work is part of some of the same collections as her dad's.
Gailan's work is lovely. Simple. Modern. Pure. They feel good to hold and touch. There is a weight and a feel to the work that is hard to describe. Solid and smooth, like a stone. I love her use of colour and glazes. The bowls above remind me of Rothko paintings. And her table settings look sculptural when displayed, but would look so lovely to be eaten off.
You can find more of Gailan's work on her
website here.
No comments:
Post a Comment