Ian Fennelly - The More You Look, the More You See, the More You Understand (Artist)

I was inspired by several things. One was having the right people at the right time to point me in the right direction to Art College, when the natural and expected thing was to leave school early, get a job and forget about a life of creativity. The other thing was I realised that drawing and painting offered the chance to tell your own story.

1. Tell us about your background and journey.

From a very early age at school I always thought I was good at art, in fact it was the only thing I thought I was good at and so quite early on I began to enjoy the fuss everyone made about my drawings and paintings. Even though they weren’t actually very good, sometimes the encouragement is all it takes to develope confidence.

So I kept on drawing and drawing and this lead me to Art College in London. I then trained as a teacher and for many years I taught in primary schools, and then became an art advisor and consultant. Alongside this I was still painting and selling and having exhibitions, but my artwork was changing; it was becoming less about painting and more about drawing.

I then started getting involved in running urban sketching workshops and demonstrations which was a natural combination of both my teaching and creative background. I’m now in the very fortunate position of running sketching workshops and events all over the world, well before covid took over anyway!

2. What inspired you to pursue art?

The story of what you notice and the things that are important. This was very inspiring because it gave me the chance to represent the world with my own colours and shapes; I could choose what goes in and what stays out.

Also being involved in the art world surrounds you with very kind and supportive people who appreciate what you do. You’re involved in creating positive outcomes which hopefully inspires other people.

3. Why do you mostly draw urban streets?

In some ways I’ve been sketching the same picture all my life. It’s an outdoor scene, usually busy but sometimes quiet, often with buildings and street furniture. I like the picture to have people in but they won’t keep still, so I miss them out. This picture has always had an odd relationship with colour, and it struggles to match the colour you might find in a photograph, but that doesn’t bother me.

This picture likes emotion and energy and telling stories. The picture started in Liverpool when I was at school and then it carried on to London when I did my art degree. Its purpose I think was to help me orientate myself in a new place. Through sketching the scene in front of me I could make sense of the space I was in.

It helped to focus my mind on where I was and how the place was made up of colours and shapes and patterns and movement and noise and smells and people. Stopping and looking and thinking helped to understand what was going on, and then I moved on and did it all again. I’m still doing it now.

4. Which mediums do you usually work with and why?

I work with watercolour and pen as I am always searching for new colours and shapes and these two mediums are able to capture them perfectly. Colours reflect the drama, energy and mystery of a place, so the application of loose washes of watercolour brushed around the paper can sometimes reflect this.

Lines describe the structure, perspective and detail of a place, so pens drawn across the surface are perfect for this. Watercolour is the subjective response to the scene I am recording; using your imagination and expressing how you feel about stuff.

The pen work is more objective and based on the reality of what you can see – exploring the patterns and textures. I love the combination of the two, just like I love the combination of watercolour and pen.

5. What is the greatest strength of an artist?

Curiosity. Wanting to know what’s behind that building and where does that street go. Why is that sign there, how old is that bridge, and why is there a crack in the pavement?

Drawing and painting on location forces you to stop and really look at things, immerse yourself in the character and smell of the place, so your curiosity is bound to be awakened. Looking really deeply at your subject, and asking questions, brings knowledge and understanding, and this for me is how we move forward and become better at what we do.

6. Who is your favorite artist and why?

Musicians inspire me hugely. When I’m sketching alone I always wear headphones and listen to music. Songs that tell a story and focus on the details and realities of life I find very moving. I love songs that are layered and show an obvious craft, and I try and draw parallels with that in the development of my own sketches.

I love a song that starts slowly perhaps with one instrument – a drum beat or guitar pick and is then joined by other sounds and builds up, and then has a narrative running through with the lyrics. A sketch starts life as a dot, then forms a line, a shape, then describes something.

It then gets added to by colour, tone, and pattern. Eventually the narrative comes through. It’s just like music. If I could pick out just one artist it would be Bruce Springsteen, but tomorrow it may be different.

7. What message will you give to aspiring artist?

Think very carefully about what you want to say with your art. It doesn’t have to be deep or profound, just clear and honest. Also practise and practise, and the more you practise the luckier you will become in the art world.

8. Which is your favourite book and why?

The Day of The Triffids by John Wyndham. I’m not usually a big fan of sci fi but I love the context of this film. The description of a planet when everyone, apart from the main characters, has gone blind, is just awesome.

Add to that the menace of those foul plants and a great storyline. I have a habit of reading my favourite books over and over again as I don’t like surprises, so I must have read this about 8 times!

Ian Fennelly

1963 Born Wallasey, UK

1983 – 1986 BA Fine Arts Degree, Wimbledon School of Art

1 st Class in Fine Art (Painting)

1989 – 1990 Post Graduate Certificate in Education (Art)

1991 – 2001 Primary School Teacher, Wirral LEA

2001 – present Professional Artist

12 solo shows

50 group shows

Currently exhibiting in over 30 Galleries in England and

Scotland

2008 – 2014 Primary Art Advisor, Wirral LEA