Ian Hargreaves

Born in Blackpool in 1957, Ian grew up on the south coast of England. After graduating from Bournemouth Art College in 1976 he set off to travel Europe, supporting himself with portrait painting as he went. Ian fell in love with the landscape and culture of the Mediterranean in particular Italy, which has had a significant influence on his practice. After meeting and marrying his wife, Ian settled in Germany where he established himself as an artist exhibiting across the country in both group and solo shows. Ian returned to the UK in 2008 and has settled in Poole, Dorset.

Ian's main conceptual area of interest lies in everyday life and the play of light and shadow. More recently Ian has become focused on large scale water reflections and the ambiguity often created between the fore, middle and backgrounds. The horizontal and vertical relationship is usually very strong in his work, which at first glance can appear slightly abstract to the viewer. On closer inspection it is clear to see they are true to nature reflecting Ian's trademark realism style of painting.

Ian is a member of the International Guild of Realism and exhibits both internationally and across the UK.