PK 218: Creative Authenticity & Composition

Ian RobertsIan Roberts is a trained painter with over 40 years of experience; he first learned alongside his father, a landscape painter, when he was just 10 years old. Ian attended the New School of Art and the Ontario College of Art in Toronto, and he also studied figure painting in Florence, Italy. He has taught workshops on composition and art for more than 25 years and recently transitioned to teaching his lessons online. Ian is also the author of two books, Mastering Composition and Creative Authenticity.


PK 215: The 4 Life Stages When People Get Serious About Their Art | Apple Podcasts
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PK 215: The 4 Life Stages When People Get Serious About Their Art | 3 Listen on stitcher
PK 215: The 4 Life Stages When People Get Serious About Their Art | 4 Listen on Deezer
 

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: 

  • Ian Roberts talks about his rewarding career as both an artist and an art teacher
  • How to overcome judgment in order to embrace artistic expression 
  • The balance between learning foundational skills and developing your personal style
  • Understanding the spirituality of art and the connection between the artist and the viewer
  • Ian shares his strategies for designing engaging compositions
  • Finding the center of interest in a painting using the vertical and horizontal structure
  • The two ways to think about composition: design-driven over subject-driven, and vision-driven over market-driven

In this episode…

Creating art is a journey—one that is fraught with self-discovery, spirituality, and the quest for personal expression. To become a successful artist, you must find the balance between sharpening your skills and letting your artistic style run free. In fact, one might say that no artist is complete without this internal struggle; so how can you create art that is both authentic and skillful? 

Ian Roberts has experienced his own journey of self-discovery while creating his complex yet simple paintings. For him, art is a byproduct of the experience an artist has while connecting to his or her craft. Ian continues to leave his mark on the art world by teaching his students how to connect with their art and discover their unique style, all while developing the skills necessary to succeed.  

In this week’s episode of the Pencil Kings podcast, host Mitch Bowler joins painter Ian Roberts for an in-depth discussion on the value of creative authenticity and personal vision when building a career in art. You don’t want to miss Ian’s expert strategies for designing an engaging composition, determining a painting’s center of interest, and mastering vertical and horizontal structure. Stay tuned.

Resources Mentioned in this episode

Sponsor for this episode…

This episode is brought to you by Evolve Artist, a breakthrough online training system that aims to inexperienced talent to become world-class artists.

If you’re interested to explore and expand your artistic nature and to maximize your potential as an artist, there’s no better way to do that to sign up with one of the many courses offered by Evolve Artist.

We’ll provide you with all the materials you need to enjoy a do-it-yourself study at home. The premium oil paint we use is supplied by Old Holland, and everything will be shipped right to your doorstep no matter where you are in the world.

To learn more about our courses, visit our website or contact us to find out how you can be the artist you were meant to be in your own home.