Gailan's home studio sale

I managed to get to Gailan's home 'studio' sale this weekend, and I'm so glad I did.  Gailan Ngan is a second generation potter (with her mom also being a painter) so pottery is in her genes, you might say.  Her forms are all wheel-thrown, with an emphasis on simple and minimal glazing that makes these pots perfect for serving food in.  Someone who was buying a stack of bowls beside me started talking about what he was going to serve in the bowls- perfect for a goulash or fish soup- and it's true, these are the perfect comfort-food pots.  I happen to really love the cobalt 'ink' splatters on some of her pots, but went home with a beautiful short celadon cup and bowl as a breakfast set.  Not sure I can part with it as a gift... I'll have to try them out first.
Gailan is now a mom to a beautiful little guy who is 3 and she recently had to leave her Strathcona studio, which she had been making pots out of for about 13 years (the owners renovated it into an apartment).  She now makes all her work on Hornby Island in her dad's studio during the summer months (along with gardening up a storm), and then is back in her beautiful Strathcona home for the rest of the year.

The count-down to the One of a Kind Show (December 8-11) is on this week!  Since I'm going to be so busy, I'll be closing up my online shops on December 8.  Incidentally this is the last day for regular shipping rates to apply to the US to get there by Christmas.  Thank you to all of those who have already been supporting my shops this month- I've been off to the post office every few days with some parcels and have felt like a little Christmas elf doing it.

Clay Symposium Part 3: Gailan Ngan Workshop

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.