Ian Middleton is a well established Yorkshire artist working mainly in the medium of oil on canvass or board depending upon the framing requirements. Ian’s studio is based near Ilkley and he is currently developing what he believes to be a refreshing and exciting change in his artistic style.
In the past, he has tended to paint for other people and not himself and as a result his artistic direction has taken many interesting and varied turns. He has painted in just about every style ranging from basic realism to outlandish abstract with a large measure of reproduction work thrown in!
There is no doubt that this has helped enormously in developing the artist’s execution skills but at the same time it has inhibited real creativity. In recent times, with the benefit of financial independence, he has questioned his work output to the point of realizing that his true desire lies in the production of highly original work which at it’s heart must be thought provoking and different.
Ian’s real inspiration in art comes from the Expressionist period of painting, prevalent at the turn of the century with it’s bright, contrasting colourful works drawing heavily upon emotional aspects. One look at No1 Gallery will show the heavy influence of the 1911 formed ‘Der Blaue Reiter’ group founded by August Macke, Franz Marc and Wassily Kandinsky.
In Ian’s opinion, art should attempt to grab the viewer’s attention and hold it, generating a refreshing and ongoing interest. The ability to create colour, plant ambiguity and at the same time introduce elements of a story board are now uppermost in his mind when he sets out to paint! This emerging style reflects a potent mixture of expressionism, cubism, abstract and even realism! This could all add up to a colourful chaotic mess if he’s not balanced in the execution but the end product is now proving both very attractive and at the same time collectable.
‘Memories of Andalucía’ is a good example to illustrate Ian’s attempt to encapsulate a person’s life in that region over the last six years. The centre point is the home with local towns and cities plus every major personal memory carefully woven around it. The painting represents over 450 hours of work on a large ‘wide screen canvass’ and hopefully it will meet the aim of providing ongoing interest as well as becoming a wow factor on the wall!
‘National Park’ has over fifty wild life figures within the painting many of which are concealed or form dual roles within the composition. The large scythe represents our threat to animal extinction with the incongruous man made road curving out of the jungle as another negative aspect of nature’s imbalance.
Several exhibitions in both Scotland and England are planned for the short term future with the aim of showcasing this new work. Meanwhile those interested can follow ian on this website.
