A PASSION FOR LIFE ART EXHIBITION, WITH IAN BARLOW

Ian Barlow held an art exhibition in August 2017. Entitled A Passion For Life, this was an exhibition featuring a selection of oil paintings, pastel drawings, sketches and sculptures capturing, and celebrating, the beauty of the female form.

I went on the opening day and was left in awe. Here’s my personal favourite painting for the exhibition, it’s one of those rare pieces that hits me right where it loves :)

Ian was there and we had a nice little chat; he’s such an inspiring person, and it was so cool to speak to him one to one outside of art class, where he’s tutored some of our Life Drawing classes.

I found it really fascinating learning how he, and the models, complete the painting process, and how he doesn’t paint from photographs, instead opting to have the model sit for multiple sessions.

Ian even had some of his quick sketches on display, which he explained is where he captures proportions, before moving on to the large canvas. It was fascinating diving into his process, as was being able to see both drawings and finished paintings side by side.

Ian was kind enough to let me take some photos, but photos will Never. Ever. Do these HUGE paintings justice, they’re massive and have a powerful presence about them.

This is just a tiny snippet of the beauty on show, you really do have to see them in person to feel the energy of these massive paintings.

They’re filled with such emotion… they feel alive, as if you could step into the scene and join them.

You can find more of on Ian Barlow’s website