Description

Ian Neill Artist

Biography
Visual Arts Studio Glasgow 1995 – 1996.
Glasgow School of Art 1996 – 2000.
BA (Hons) Fine Art Painting.
Distinction in Historical and Critical Studies.

Ian says: “After having attended the Visual Arts Studio in Glasgow in 1995 I applied, and was accepted, for the Drawing and Painting course at Glasgow School of Art the following year graduating in 2000.

At that time we were taught how to make accurate observational drawings and paintings using a variety of traditional techniques after which we were free to develop our own approaches. The ethos being that this would provide students with a solid foundation on which to build.

However as time has passed I have come to realise that for my own development as an artist I work best when using memory and spontaneity; allowing the paintings to evolve during the painting process. I work on several paintings at a time as I feel that this keeps them fresh and also maintains a connection between them as a body of work.

When I begin a painting there is normally no pre-planning other than that I know it will be a Figure or a Face for example, although on occasion I will change from one to another during a painting session.

I work mainly with oil paint as I enjoy the physicality of it. For me there is a tactile sensual quality to it that is unmatched by other media.”