Wayne Ngan devoted much of his life transforming clay into art – specifically, into pottery of such complexity and beauty that it attained the level of sculpture. Mr. Ngan found much of his inspiration in the driftwood, shells, sea pods and plant life on the beaches and garden surrounding his home studio on Hornby Island, B.C. He died on June 12 from lymphoma, on the island that had informed so much of his life and work. He was 83.
“He had a really exceptional eye and really looked very closely at natural forms,” says Scott Watson, director and curator of the University of British Columbia’s Belkin Art Gallery, which has several of Mr. Ngan’s works in its permanent collection. His bold explorations of technique and form helped affirm him as one of the most important ceramic artists in Canada, Mr. Watson adds.
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