High tea at Willock & Sax

Ceramic art and our cultural ties with tea ceremonies have gone hand-in-hand for centuries, and Banff's Willock & Sax Gallery has recognized its importance by showcasing work in the field by some of Alberta's best ceramic artists with its High Tea exhibit.

Ceramic artists Mindy Andrews, Lisa McGrath and Sarah Pike brought in new pieces in May for the exhibit, as did Robin DuPont, who was part of the wood-fired residency program at The Banff Centre.

“We asked them to play with that concept, and all three are graduates of the Alberta College of Art and Design (ACAD) at differing times, but Sarah with her royal ware is a new line for us, at least with the crown design and gold luster on them,” said Willock & Sax co-owner Susan Sax-Willock.

“Sarah was really focusing on her slab stoneware, and Lisa McGrath has a huge sense of whimsy with her playful hares, but she also included a beaver and terrier and all sorts of things, but with bright colours, and playing with the idea for a traditional dish for high tea.”

The exhibit also includes Andrews' hand-painted porcelain, an innovation the artist was working on before the exhibit opening. “She brought them in part-way through the month with the twigs and the little cups, and there is just such a sense of real and wonderful detail with all of these artists and in that you can see the influence of husband and wife John (Chalke) and Barbara (Tipton),” Sax-Willock said.

Andrews, Pike and McGrath were all students of Tipton's at different times, and were familiar and aware of Chalke's ceramic work. “It creates a wonderful flow with all of the pieces and that's actually typical of our gallery,” Sax-Willock said of the close relationship between the artists showcased.

“We also have historic pieces by Luke Lindoe, he was sort of the basis of ceramics in Alberta and helped build kilns in the ceramic department at The Banff Centre, as well as at ACAD.

“What's so wonderful about John and Barbara's work is you can actually see where they have held their pieces in their hands as they were looking at the design and adding little details here and there.”

Sax-Williock explained the tea ceremony and afternoon tea was born out of the aristocratic process, with high tea being more associated at the worker level.

“It was the time in the afternoon when workers would have an afternoon break and had its beginnings with the industrial revolution when people took time out,” Sax-Willock said. The gallery also collaborated with the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel this year to celebrate the exhibition and to take part in the hotel's long-standing tradition of offering its guests high tea.

“The concept has definitely had a long relationship with our ceramic artists, who also looked at the concepts of the Chinese and Japanese tea ceremonies and is a definite influence in many of their works,” said Sax-Willock.

“There is a wonderful continuity and these three people, Lisa, Sarah and Mindy, definitely were referencing that heritage ... there's a lot of mixing, referencing and intermingling going on. There are a lot of really cheerful pieces and that seems to be a tendency of what is happening. Because it's spring the Makeup (spring exhibit) tends to be a bright show and that has definitely followed through this year.”

The Willock & Sax Gallery's Spring Makeup show is celebrating its third year, with the autumn show The Makings celebrating its sixth year, respectively.

“It seems ever year we have these new and wonderful pieces and certainly Sarah, Lisa and Mindy really took it to heart and had a lot of fun making the show,” said Sax-Willock.