FRIDAY FEATURE: Featured Artist ~ Ian Ramsay

Repblished. Original blog post published on 5/22/15
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Ian Ramsay ~ "I love to paint scruffy farms."

I'm so excited for this featured artist post! My husband and I are collectors of Ian Ramsay's work and, to date, own at least eight of his paintings. He has an incredible talent for luminosity and seeing beauty in the every day things that most people might take for granted. Kudos to my husband for making the first purchase! But, I too love Ian's work and enjoy looking at the paintings hanging in our home daily as well. 

"Capestrano, Abruzzo, Italy"  ©Ian Ramsay.
This painting is presently at the High Country Summer 
Exhibition at Trailside Gallery in Jackson Hole, WY

I was privileged to take a workshop with Ian about a year and a half ago. He was so open with teaching his technique for building layers of watercolor in order to achieve the beautiful paintings he creates - being careful to save the lights. I can't say that I fully achieved that goal in the painting I created during the workshop. I definitely had some challenges! But, there were some parts of my painting that I really loved in the end. Ian is a patient instructor, offering helpful suggestions for problem solving and never criticizing. He speaks with a delightfully soft English accent and soft voice, making two days of intense learning and instruction a pleasure to the ears as well! 

"Street Market, Naples, Italy"  ©Ian Ramsay. 
This painting is currently at the Summer Show at
Settlers West Gallery in Tucson, Arizona.

When I contacted Ian via email to let him know I wanted to feature him on my blog, he was very accommodating, but requested that we speak in person rather than conducting the interview over email. Again, a delightful person to speak with, and very graciously taking an hour out of his day to answer my questions and discuss art with me. So, as I'm sure you are all anxious to know his thoughts, here are Ian's answers to my blog feature questions.

Q: What are your favorite materials and tools...the ones you just can't live without?

A: You cannot do a good watercolor unless you are using a really good quality paper. I use all kinds of rubbish to sketch, but good quality paper to paint. [I prefer] either Arches cold press 140 lb or Fabriano cold press 140 lb. I just love them. I just love the way Fabriano holds the color and accepts the paint in such a soft manner. 

I use a big variety of brushes. I’m not one of these painters who just limits it to a handful of brushes. I like big wash brushes and lots of synthetic brushes with sharp points. I like to use the sharp brushes to kind of “draw” with when painting – if I can use a brush for detail instead of a pencil, I will.

Good, chiseled brushes and good quality paper. Those are the two things I can't live without.

"Mitkof Island, Alaska" ©Ian Ramsay.
This painting is presently at the Summer Show
at Settlers West Gallery in Tucson, Arizona.

Q: Who are your artistic influences?

A: I am influenced by almost everything I see. I have juried a lot of art shows, and just looking at the work of the other artists in the show influences how I think. 

Rowland Hilder is the first painter that influenced me. I saw his work when I was working as an architect in London back in the 1970’s. He is the person who made me want to paint. 

Next is Charles Dixon. He is a 19^th century English nautical watercolor artist. 

David Roberts is another 19^th century Scottish artist whose work influences me every day. From him, I think I learned a great deal about placing dark values in the right spot in a painting and how important they are to lead you around a painting. 

I admire Philip Jamison. It’s the simplicity of his work that I really enjoy.

Donald Teague. It’s the wide variety of subject matter. 

And, finally, Alvaro Castagnet. Flamboyance! I wish I had it! He just says what he thinks and feels. He doesn’t care what others think. I’m kind of a quiet person and I don’t want to offend anyone. 

"Paris Shadows" ©Ian Ramsay

Q: What is your favorite subject matter and why?

A: In the beginning, I was totally a nautical artist: fishing boats and harbors. That’s what is in my blood because I grew up around it in England. 

In Utah, I love to paint “scruffy farms.” I love the run-down look of the farms here. I don’t like “pretty” things. I don’t paint flowers or still life or children. I like things that are kind of rough and dirty. 

In the last few years I’ve been doing quite a few street scenes. I was in a gallery in Japan for about five years and I became fascinated with the city landscapes while I was there. I visited about 16 different cities in Japan and I just loved all the telephone poles and wires.



Q: What advice would you give to emerging artists?

A: Especially for those who are just getting started and thinking about it - I think you have to keep true to your own desires and your own artistic interests. I just find that sometimes art schools can break your basic interest in art. Whatever drew you to art, you need to hang on to that and not get sidelined by what someone else may tell you. Also, never bend to what’s the most popular trend because that takes you away from what you love to work on yourself. You have to stay true to yourself. 

It’s my opinion that it’s important to stay connected to good quality galleries. They give your work legitimacy. A lot of people try to market their work on their own, which is fine and they can be successful. But in order to really be able to give yourself the legitimacy [of a professional artist], you need to be connected to good quality galleries.

In order to make your work look as good as it can possibly look, it's very important to have it professionally framed.I did my own framing for years and years and never made the leap professionally until I had my work professionally framed.

"Farm and Pond, Spanish Fork, Utah" ©Ian Ramsay
This painting is available at the Brushworks
Gallery in Salt Lake City, UT.

Q: What would you most like to be remembered for in life?

A: [I would like to be remembered] for having been understanding and non-judgmental. It’s very important to me to be helpful and encouraging when I teach. It doesn’t help anyone to break them down during a workshop or a class. There’s always something that’s “right” about what someone is doing. 

Hopefully my work will be remembered. Those artists whose work is remembered after their life are few and far between, but one can always hope.

"Rural Nottinghamshire, England" ©Ian Ramsay 

Ian Ramsay was born in England in 1948, but lives in the United States. He and his wife currently reside in Utah. Ian is an internationally known, award-winning artist with collectors all over the world. He earned an architectural degree from the University of Utah. As a painter, he is self taught. 

"My training is totally as an architect. I picked up watercolor on my own. I got the design and materials training as an architect." ~ Ian Ramsay

Visit Ian's blog at Ian Ramsay Watercolors. 

His work is represented by several galleries:

Brushworks Gallery in Salt Lake City, UT
New Masters Gallery in Carmel, CA
Settler’s West Gallery in Tuscon, AZ
Trailside Gallery in Jackson Hole, WY
Trailside Gallery in Scottsdale, AZ
Image Source in England (printing rights for greeting cards and calendars)

As always, thanks for stopping by my blog!

I hope you enjoyed this Featured Artist post. Please leave a comment with your thoughts and feedback. I would love to hear from you!