About the Artist
Ian found his passion for painting trees almost as soon as he started painting and is constantly amazed at how such a limited subject can offer so many opportunities for creativity and development.
For a number of years he painted exclusively with a rigid watercolour technique drawing inspiration from the likes of Rowland Hilder and Edward Seago. This work is exemplified in the “ Pastoral “ gallery.
Gradually he developed his own style based on very loose washes which are used to cover the whole paper creating the atmosphere from the start.
These washes are then painted into and the final image is allowed to gradually evolve. As no drawing takes place at the start and the images are based on imagination most work is not pre-planned. On occasion where a specific view is painted the initial full wash is still used but is manipulated to provide the relevant tones and colours in which to develop the image.
Examples of this work can be seen in the “atmospheric” and “panoramic” galleries.
Ian is always looking for ways to introduce texture into his work and has explored a variety of techniques in watercolour and his current collection features the use of watercolours on canvas prepared with gesso.
His work in acrylics uses very little water with the paint being used straight out of the tube which allows for blending on the canvas and the creation of texture. The paint is only watered down to provide the fine lines of the branches. As with his water-colours unless a specific scene is painted, as in the “Feckenham” gallery, his images develop by painting into the canvas which has already had a complete covering of paint. Brushes, palette knives, tissue, cling film and fingers are all used to help create texture and mood although for all the fine work needed he stands by his favourite rigger brushes.
Ian’s first solo exhibition was for a month at Birmingham’s Botanical Gardens in 2011 and then he had a painting selected as Best in Show by visitors at the Quinton Arts Festival in Birmingham, an award repeated in 2012 and then again later in 2015. Shortly after examples of his work and details were chosen to be featured in the American publication “International Contemporary Artists”and in 2012 his work was featured in the national “ The Artist” magazine.
In February 2013 he was elected to be a member of the prestigious Birmingham Watercolour Society continuing to exhibit with them until their unfortunate closure following Covid.
In 2014 one of his paintings gained a runners up award in an international
“ Artist of the Year” competition sponsored and judged by Winsor and Newton. His painting “Into the Light” achieved second place in a competition organised by the online gallery ArtistsInfo and judged by Daler Rowney in 2015 with this success being repeated in 2017 with one of his watercolours and a second painting was selected for an online exhibition.
Ian enjoyed two solo exhibitions in the gallery at Malvern Theatre in 2013 and 2015 and was an artist demonstrator at the well known Patchings Art Festival near Nottingham in 2016 and 2017. In 2018 he was accepted for a month long exhibition at the No.8 gallery in Pershore and had work accepted in both 2021 and 2022 in the annual Broadway Arts Festival.
For a number of years Ian was a visiting tutor at the Centre of England Arts Centre near Meridian and has been demonstrating and running workshops for art societies throughout the Midlands during that time. During Covid he had a tutorial on painting winter trees published online by the SAA.
More recently he has been exhibiting with other artists, again at No. 8 in Pershore, at the Long Gallery in Hanbury Hall, Spetchley Park and Gardens and at the Old Lifeboat House in Porthleven, Cornwall and has been a regular in the Worcestershire Open Studios event.
In the past Ian has exhibited all over the country at various Art and Craft events however he now tends to sell through 3 local galleries, the Jinney Ring at Hanbury, the Abbey Gallery, Pershore and the Abbey Gallery, Tewkesbury.
Ian was part of the “picture for health” charity in Worcester for a while before producing a book of his work ( now in its 5th edition ) and a selection of fine art cards both of which he sells for cancer charities. He also makes a donation to charity from sales when he exhibits in Feckenham and has supported organisations such as, the British Heart Foundation, Music for Dementia, various Children’s cancer charities and the Primrose Hospice at Bromsgrove.
For a number of years he painted exclusively with a rigid watercolour technique drawing inspiration from the likes of Rowland Hilder and Edward Seago. This work is exemplified in the “ Pastoral “ gallery.
Gradually he developed his own style based on very loose washes which are used to cover the whole paper creating the atmosphere from the start.
These washes are then painted into and the final image is allowed to gradually evolve. As no drawing takes place at the start and the images are based on imagination most work is not pre-planned. On occasion where a specific view is painted the initial full wash is still used but is manipulated to provide the relevant tones and colours in which to develop the image.
Examples of this work can be seen in the “atmospheric” and “panoramic” galleries.
Ian is always looking for ways to introduce texture into his work and has explored a variety of techniques in watercolour and his current collection features the use of watercolours on canvas prepared with gesso.
His work in acrylics uses very little water with the paint being used straight out of the tube which allows for blending on the canvas and the creation of texture. The paint is only watered down to provide the fine lines of the branches. As with his water-colours unless a specific scene is painted, as in the “Feckenham” gallery, his images develop by painting into the canvas which has already had a complete covering of paint. Brushes, palette knives, tissue, cling film and fingers are all used to help create texture and mood although for all the fine work needed he stands by his favourite rigger brushes.
Ian’s first solo exhibition was for a month at Birmingham’s Botanical Gardens in 2011 and then he had a painting selected as Best in Show by visitors at the Quinton Arts Festival in Birmingham, an award repeated in 2012 and then again later in 2015. Shortly after examples of his work and details were chosen to be featured in the American publication “International Contemporary Artists”and in 2012 his work was featured in the national “ The Artist” magazine.
In February 2013 he was elected to be a member of the prestigious Birmingham Watercolour Society continuing to exhibit with them until their unfortunate closure following Covid.
In 2014 one of his paintings gained a runners up award in an international
“ Artist of the Year” competition sponsored and judged by Winsor and Newton. His painting “Into the Light” achieved second place in a competition organised by the online gallery ArtistsInfo and judged by Daler Rowney in 2015 with this success being repeated in 2017 with one of his watercolours and a second painting was selected for an online exhibition.
Ian enjoyed two solo exhibitions in the gallery at Malvern Theatre in 2013 and 2015 and was an artist demonstrator at the well known Patchings Art Festival near Nottingham in 2016 and 2017. In 2018 he was accepted for a month long exhibition at the No.8 gallery in Pershore and had work accepted in both 2021 and 2022 in the annual Broadway Arts Festival.
For a number of years Ian was a visiting tutor at the Centre of England Arts Centre near Meridian and has been demonstrating and running workshops for art societies throughout the Midlands during that time. During Covid he had a tutorial on painting winter trees published online by the SAA.
More recently he has been exhibiting with other artists, again at No. 8 in Pershore, at the Long Gallery in Hanbury Hall, Spetchley Park and Gardens and at the Old Lifeboat House in Porthleven, Cornwall and has been a regular in the Worcestershire Open Studios event.
In the past Ian has exhibited all over the country at various Art and Craft events however he now tends to sell through 3 local galleries, the Jinney Ring at Hanbury, the Abbey Gallery, Pershore and the Abbey Gallery, Tewkesbury.
Ian was part of the “picture for health” charity in Worcester for a while before producing a book of his work ( now in its 5th edition ) and a selection of fine art cards both of which he sells for cancer charities. He also makes a donation to charity from sales when he exhibits in Feckenham and has supported organisations such as, the British Heart Foundation, Music for Dementia, various Children’s cancer charities and the Primrose Hospice at Bromsgrove.