BW 11 Painting

Ian has spent the past five years developing his practice as a fine artist following a break of fifteen years where he pursued other goals. His current painting practice is informed by architecture, particularly Brutalism which was a constant presence in the environment of his childhood which was spent in 1980s East London. His interest in Brutalism today is fuelled by nostalgia and aesthetics as well as social geographical factors. The concrete slabs used in the construction process produce a wealth of geometric forms coloured with infinite tints, tones and shades of grey that change constantly depending on prevailing light conditions. The buildings are continually affected by erosion from environmental factors and occasional damage through acts of vandalism. These could be taken as a revenge of sorts by a society and environment that’s had these structures forced onto them. Consequently, he is also fascinated by society’s ongoing relationship with Brutalism, in particular the paradoxical needs for both regeneration and conservation. ​ He explores these issues through the medium of paint and his intention is to create open work that allows the viewer to respond to the individual pieces on a personal level. Paintings are produced directly from source material such as on site sketches and photography or found photographs. These are then taken through various stages of abstraction to produce final outcomes that are very much process driven. Sometimes paintings are created using an instinctive approach that is a response to his source material; these are often gestural and expressionistic showing evidence of brush marks and/or pallet knife to produce painterly outcomes. At other times his process is highly considered incorporating carefully measured and masked off areas then applying highly diluted acrylic paints to produce clinical geometric abstractions.