Ian Mastin

IAN MASTIN has been a sought after exhibitor at Tolquhon for some time so it was a great disappointment to learn three years ago that he was returning to Australia. Happily, now he has settled, he is continuing to exhibit with us. Ian was born in Leicestershire in 1949 but grew up in Queensland, Australia. He had no art education at school and it was only in the mid 1980s that he began to sketch for recreation. He had an obvious gift and was invited to exhibit his work in a Brisbane gallery where he first experienced success. In 1991, he returned to Britain with his family and settled in East Lothian. Remarkably, it was here that he picked up a paintbrush for the first time and after a year of experimentation in fundamental techniques, he committed himself to painting full time. Since then he has continued to develop his understanding of art, choosing to follow a path of self discovery rather than copy the views of others in determining what is "right".  He has chosen to concentrate on Still Life which he paints with remarkable skill. He writes that his aim in all his work is simple but never easy - "to apprehend the indefinable quality in a painting that both breathes life and gives pause for reflection." The paintings in the exhibition include some distinctively Australian subjects.