Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Ian Tyson at Vancouver School of Art


The new issue of Maclean's arrived today - with an article about a long time love of Ian Tyson. I was interested to read it as Ian was at VSA when I was there. I don't remember a lot about him - somehow he didn't especially appeal to me - and obviously he wasn't especially taken with me either! I do remember that he came from a fairly well-to-do family in Victoria and his mother went to London, England each year "for the season". This used to amuse me in later years as Ian cultivated the "old ranch-hand" personality. I also remember that he seemed to drink a lot, even then. He and a friend had part-time jobs in a bar - or a restaurant ??- and used to drink anything left in customer's glasses - or so he said. I don't really remember his girlfriend although she was a lovely looking girl. I guess I was too busy doing my own thing and figuring out where I was going with art. In my second year, I took an extra class of life-drawing in the evenings. I had some art supplies in a tool box and I remember being on the trolley when it broke down. I think the trolley just slipped off the wires- but a more conventional looking office worker commented to a friend that maybe I could fix the vehicle. Ian comments on art students being a different breed in those days - I guess we were- and sometimes tried to dress the part! .... "Streetwise" is a little cat that just wanted to be featured this time.

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