It was mid-June when I met Ivan in his hometown of Totnes. Unlike any interview I've had so far, this was an outdoor walk-and-talk and as we roamed around the enchanting countryside of this south-western corner of Britain, you could see exactly where Ivan gets the inspiration to create his enthralling artworks.
Although he may now live in the quiet hinterlands of the Devonshire countryside, Ivan actually began his artistic journey in 1960s Camden, where the colour and noise of the new hippy generation was beginning to dominate the scene. It therefore hardly came as a surprise when Ivan told me that he dislikes the snobbery of critics in the art world. He tells me, for instance, that works of art should be positively engaged with, not criticised.
Such a way of thinking drives Ivan to create the form of artwork that he does - expressionism. Moreover, Ivan himself, with his bright and vibrant clothing, seems to embody the very expressive work he creates.
Without planning and without taking any photographs to create his work later on, Ivan will often just sit in various places at different times of the year and draw out the scenery in front of him. Ivan tells me that by totally immersing himself in the landscape like this he is able to directly express the emotions he feels through his work. As he is keen to let me know: he likes people not only to see, but to feel what time of year it is.
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