Part of Brockley Max Festival
Ian was born Zimbabwe in 1954 and studied English Literature at university. He says, ‘There being no art school in Zimbabwe meant that I was never able to consider getting some professional training. I’ve always felt a bit haunted by what I might have been able to do with a bit of sustained effort.’
He came to London in 1976 just as Punk was exploding across the UK, and careered around in a wide range of work – from six years dealing antique textiles to twelve years as a journalist – and much in between.
Retiring in 2021 provided an opportunity to see what he could still manage in the way of drawing.
Ian says of his art: ‘I make original drawings, most often just a black and white image in pen and pencil. I then make a photocopy of this image, or use another technique of image transfer to get some distance from the original. I rework that image: re-drawing, correcting, refining, colouring, or re-colouring, adding layers of colour and sometimes removing colour.
‘I like surprising myself, seeing how far I can progress an image and come at an idea from different angles.’
Festival details: https://brockleymax.co.uk/category/brockley-max-2025/
Exhibition Opening Part: May 30th 6-8pm
Artdog London, 23 Brockley Rise London, SE23 1JG until June 8th.
Hours: Thursday to Saturday 12-5; Sunday 12-3
