Tam Irving’s Dimensions is an exhibition of work sitting the intersection of colour, form, and perception—where the boundaries between painting, object, and optical experience begin to dissolve. Long recognized as a master potter, Irving turns here to a broader visual language, extending his practice beyond function and into a sustained inquiry into the relationship between art and craft.
At the heart of the exhibition is a rigorous exploration of colour: its capacity to create
tension or harmony, to advance or recede, to unsettle or resolve. Drawing on the legacy of
colour field painters such as Mark Rothko and Barnett Newman, Irving examines how
subtle shifts in hue and contrast can produce spatial effects.
This investigation is paired with an equally probing study of form. Circles are cut, folded,
layered, and interrupted; vessels are reimagined and surfaces deceive. Objects that
appear flat reveal themselves as dimensional, while others hover ambiguously between
two and three dimensions. Irving approaches these transformations with the precision of a
scientist, dissecting and reconstructing shapes to test their limits. The result is a playful yet exacting visual language, where perception itself becomes unstable.
Tam is the featured artist for the 2026 Harmony Arts Festival.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Tam was born in 1933 in Bilbao, Spain. Part of his childhood was spent in Portugal, where traditional earthenware first sparked his interest in ceramics. This early interest was set aside in favour of what he considered more serious vocational pursuits while he studied at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, receiving a B.Sc. degree in 1956. That same year, he emigrated to Canada and worked for seven years as a chemist with Shell Canada.
Finding little fulfillment in this work, he left the industry in 1964 and returned to his first love, clay. He
studied at the Winnipeg School of Art, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, and the Vancouver School of Art. Feeling that what he truly needed was to make pots, he cut short further academic study and established a studio in Vancouver in 1966, where he earned a living as a production potter for the next seven years.
In 1973, he began teaching at the Vancouver School of Art, which later evolved into a full-time teaching career at Emily Carr University of Art and Design. He retired in 1996 to return to his own practice. Moving toward hand-built pieces, he expanded his clay practice to include sculptural forms and “Still Life” compositions.
Opening Reception: Friday, July 31, 6–8 p.m.
Free Artist Talk: Sunday, August 2, 12–1 p.m.
Harmony Arts Festival poster
2026 FEATURED ARTIST: Tam Irving, Twin Peaks