On Saturday we took a long overdue visit to the Vancouver Art Gallery. This summer’s big show is “The Colour of My Dreams: the Surrealist Revolution in Art” with some 300 works from museums and private collections featuring Surrealist work, with an emphasis on the influence of Pacific Northwest art within this vast movement. Lots to take in!

Another floor of the gallery houses large work by Ken Lum and the top floor deals with photographic work including Eadward Muybridge’s distinctive work on movement. The third floor is taken up with “Unreal”; work from the permanent collection. Much of it we have seen before but there were some nice surprises. It’s good to be reminded of our own art history. This little arrangement of pieces under plexiglass by Gathie Falk caught my attention. It dates from the seventies, she is still using the wheel and temmoku glaze. Knowing how different her work became it’s fun to see this piece. Sadly I noted that it was donated to VAG by the estate of Letia Richardson. Letia was the editor of the BC Potters Guild newsletter for several years in the nineties and I had the privilege of acting as a proof reader for her. She died just last year and I miss her professional approach to editing and her knowledge of Vancouver’s art world. She had a good collection of work by her favourite artists.

Just near this piece are some works by Leach apprentice and Vancouver artist, Glenn Lewis. And following the ‘unreal’ theme there is Eric Metcalfe’s leopard-spotted wooden saxophone with its leopard-velvet-lined case.

In no time it was five o’clock and we emerged to an unusual Vancouver sunny day! Just across the public plaza in front of VAG is the new and beautifully restored Georgia Hotel so we popped in to see what all the buzz is about. The owners have spared no expense in their restoration, with elegant panelling and furnishings and lo and behold! Art! In the entrances are wall pieces by local sculptor David Robinson – my photos don’t do them justice.

Inside we were delighted to see a ‘painting’ by British artist, Patrick Hughes. We’ve come across his work in the Winsor Gallery on South Granville. I do enjoy work that is a surprise and his is the use of a 3D trick, placing some parts of his image on protruding panels. My photos show two views so that you can perhaps get an idea of how the disturbing image happens. Perhaps it’s Venice, perhaps its outside, or not.