Meet Our Makers - Ian Harrison Art
Ian Harrison is an artist based in Nottingham, who specialises in wildlife, botanical and pet portrait art.
In this edition of the ‘Meet Our Makers’ series I’m delighted to be talking to Ian Harrison (Ian Harrison Art); who has always been a keen artist but started his business after trying a new technique completely by chance.
Hi Ian, it’s great to talk to you today. Where did your passion for art begin?
I currently live in Nottingham and I’m a full-time coloured pencil artist specialising in wildlife drawings. I’ve always created art, but I haven’t always been a full time artist and not always a coloured pencil artist.
I used to draw from a very early age and still have many of my pre-teen’s drawings. I wasn’t only interested in art but also structures, buildings, and bridges and many of my early drawings were based on these subjects. My early years drawings were a predictor for my later life.
I eventually took a conscious career decision to go down the Engineering route and it was probably the best decision overall to secure a good income. I studied Civil and Structural Engineering at University and after graduation I was involved in the design and construction of many roads, bridges, tunnels and buildings.
I travelled the world in my career and loved every minute but my passion for art never died during all this time, it’s just that my available time was limited to practice it often. I eventually became responsible for product development for a US construction product manufacturer. This was great as it enabled me to combine my creative and logical thinking.
During the whole time in my professional career, I never gave up on art and continually tried new things when I had any spare time. I experimented with acrylics and loved the deep solid colours that could be achieved especially for the block style I was practising at that time. I also worked with watercolours, the ability to let colours flow wet into wet is one of the great qualities of watercolours that can enable moody landscapes. I often felt you had one chance to get these effects right and too much correction can lose the freshness of the painting.
Over the years I attended many workshops for different art techniques, theories and media, many of those skills I still use today.
Ian Harrison Art at Tissington Craft Fair in 2022.
At what stage did your business start and what was your inspiration to start it?
About 5 years ago I decided I should spend more time at home and stop travelling constantly, I think my family were pleased with this decision. I decided to spend more time working on art and by chance I attended a one-day coloured pencil botanical workshop. This was a lightbulb moment for me and opened a whole new chain of thought of opportunities.
I loved the detail you could create and the ability to control and correct the media on the paper. But most of all I loved the ability to draw in a style of realism. I quickly concluded that I didn’t want to draw simply to put in a drawer. I wanted to find a way to share what I was doing and give my work a purpose.
I decided to start a business creating and selling art. The past few years have been amazing and extremely satisfying. It’s not only about creating art but needing to employ all the skills I learnt in my business career such as product development, sourcing suppliers, sales, marketing, website building etc.
So where do your creations come to life?
Unfortunately, I don’t have a full-time dedicated studio but I am very adaptable and work in many different spaces around the house. Good daylight is always a consideration when working on detailed drawings and so I find it beneficial to move rooms to follow the best light during the day.
I do try and avoid impinging on family life as much as possible. No matter where I work, I find our cat Macy usually settles down next to me to sleep.
“I loved the detail you could create and the ability to control and correct the media on the paper”. Ian Harrison Art.
Do you have a favourite animal or bird to draw?
I don’t really have a favourite animal or bird. They all have their own qualities which make them a challenge to recreate it could be thick fur, textures or the softness of feathers. All different but a great feeling when you get it right One thing they all have in common is character and I spend a long-time researching reference photos to ensure my drawings really capture their character.
My drawings can take 20 to 30 hours to complete so you spend a long time studying every fine detail. A quote I once read, and I can’t remember who it was, really captures this: “It’s only when you start to draw an animal and take the time to carefully observe and contemplate it that you fully understand it’s complexity and beauty”.
Which part of the creative process or your business do you find the hardest and why?
I enjoy all aspects of the creative process and business especially meeting new people. It’s lovely to get feedback and get the chance to share and talk about what I do. At first one of the hardest things was the ability to know what stock to make for a fair and how much. I find this so much easier now based on the sales stats I keep. It’s still difficult to know how popular a new drawing will be and you only discover this after a few outings.
“I wanted to find a way to share what I was doing and give my work a purpose”. Ian Harrison Art
What has been your proudest moment in your business so far?
I enjoy it every time someone gets pleasure from a piece of my art and this is especially the case with pet portraits because of the emotional attachment of the person commissioning the portrait.
It’s a wonderful feeling when you witness the joy and emotion as you present the finished portrait. The emotions are heightened when the portrait is in memoriam, and you have helped a little to immortalise their loyal companion.
What do you love to do in your spare time and how does this influence your work?
I don’t have a lot of spare time as I’m also doing a language course at Nottingham Trent University. When I have some spare time, I love to play tennis, meet with friends and go walking and ironically travelling. I find inspiration all around me all the time and wherever I am I always keep an eye out for new ideas and trends.
“I find inspiration all around me all the time and wherever I am I always keep an eye out for new ideas and trends”. Ian Harrison Art.
Can you remember your first sale and how does it feel when someone chooses to buy your work?
I can’t remember the actual product I sold but I remember my first fair. It was an outdoor fair at Wollaton Hall in a small gazebo. It was torrential rain and gales all weekend, water was dripping on the products. It was also quite scary being in front of customers for the first time, but it was very exciting to sell my first products. The fact that people Iiked what I did was a great feeling.
What can our customers look forward to seeing in 2023? Do you have any new products in the pipeline or anything that will only be available at markets?
I’ve been very active since the end of 2022 and have quite a few new drawings and products that have not been seen before. Many of these are not yet available on my website and will be seen for the first time at Tissington.
I’ve loved creating the new characters, many of which have been based on feedback from customers during 2022.
I will of course still be displaying my old favourites and it becomes a growing challenge to display old and new in the limited space you have at craft fairs but that’s also part of the fun of being creative to find new ways.
A selection of products by Ian Harrison Art.