This is the second of two blogs on the new show at West Vancouver Museum. The previous one showed some of Sally Michener’s sculptures. In this one I am posting work by Tam Irving.

I first met Tam when he was long-time president of the BC Potters’ Guild. It was a comfortable fit for him and for us in the clay community because the Galley of BC Ceramics with the guild’s office upstairs is just a stone’s throw from Emily Carr College of Art and Design (as it was then) where he was Ceramics Instructor along with his colleague Sally Michener.

We knew that he had been a full-time potter before he was hired by the Art School. He had worked alongside local potter Ron Vallis, producing functional, Leach-inspired ware. But we also knew that he had toyed with making sculpture in those early days. As his essay here details, he was very interested in 2D work by Georgio Morandi and Georgio de Chirico, and Art History generally. In fact his assignment of a project to make a 3D ‘Still Life’ to us pottery students led him to start an extended series of work based on that theme, himself.

Since his retirement we’ve noticed Tam making more sculptures along with some functional vases. The sculptures have a sixties feel to them both in shape and distinctive colours – departing radically from the quiet reduction-fired stoneware colours of celadon and iron-saturated glazes of his earlier work. A major show of his work at Burnaby Art Gallery some years ago introduced this new genre.

This latest show in West Vancouver includes several of those new style sculptures and vessels, some flatter-seeming wall pieces and an array of recent return-to-function stoneware vases. You’ll see examples of all in my photos. Again, check his artist statement, buy the catalogue and/or go to see the show yourself.

The two artists work entirely differently but both parts of the show are fascinating, colourful and inspiring.

The Museum is sponsoring an interesting opportunity to see the show with its curator Carol Mayer, visit both artists’ studios in Horseshoe Bay and enjoy lunch together at the Boathouse, on October 22nd, 10am to 2.30pm. $50.  Register by calling 604 925 7270 or online at westvanrec. (Activity #25291). I hope to join them.