Ian Francis is an amazing mixed media artist from Bristol, in the UK. I have been a fan of his ever since I saw his January 2008 interview on FecalFace. His graphic, emotive style really appealed to me, and I was stoked when I found out he was speaking at Semi-Permanent this year. So I bought my ticket and was itching to see his talk.

ian francis - A Complex, Interrelated Problem Advances on a Girl in San Francisco

Ian showed us a lot of his work, from the very early, experimental mixed media works he was doing in college on scrap cardboard and paper. The back catalogue he went through was impressive, and really expounded his development as an artist. The more he painted, the more his skill developed.

He draws his inspiration from the news, magazines and the internet, saying he saves about 100 images a week to use as inspiration for works down the track. He liked to play the superficial absurdity of today’s mass media off the raw footage he has chased down from war torn areas, often ending up with works showing beautiful people in destroyed urban landscapes.  The juxtaposition of these subjects work amazingly well for Ian, especially for his style.

ian francis - A Cheerleader Decides to Shoot Her Friend (This Scene is Real)

Working as a full time artist has really allowed Ian to develop his style, and his skill. He was unsuccessful as an artist for a number of years between the end of his degree, and his first group show in 2007.  To gain more exposure, which eventually led to his inclusion in the show in LA for Blackmarket Gallery, Ian sent his electronic portfolio around to as many online magazines and sites as he could. Sites like Juxtapoz, FecalFace, and Design is Kinky. This is a great way to spread your work and your name, with very little cost.

Ian loves to use Photoshop to comp up his work before actually picking up a paintbrush.  Using the images he collects from the internet and photographs he takes, he puts them into Photoshop, placing and rearranging them to get a layout he is happy with. To add textures, he often scans in old paintings and chops and changes them till he is happy with the composition.  Sometimes these comps can sit dormant for 2 or 3 years before the right image is found to complete it, and that is when the painting can be realized.

ian francis - Untitled

The intricate, delicate figures Ian uses in his works are added using photographic transfer paper. He says that drawing directly onto the canvas is too hard, and often doesn’t work out the way it is planned. From the works Ian has been putting out, it looks like he has honed this technique to near perfection, achieving an almost photo realistic, yet graphic portrayal of the figures in his work.

For more information on Ian Francis, follow these links:

Personal homepage – www.ifrancis.co.uk

The FecalFace interview – www.fecalface.com