ian stewart
Posted on 25. Jan, 2010 by NakedCity in culture
words > DUSTIN DECKARD
Ian Stewart is a Wichitan, born-and-raised. A self-proclaimed Kansas “lifer,” he’s lived on both coasts at one point or another in his 31 years, yet still favors the ICT as his place to call home.
Growing up, his parents always encouraged his creative endeavors, and they must have done a pretty good job, considering he turned out an artist and his brother a professional musician. “[Art] was always around, but it wasn’t until after high school that I started to get into it as a passion—more than just a hobby.”
Ian’s work is collage-based, but much of it is digital. He occasionally includes drawings or sketches, but much of his process is centered around cutting out material from magazines and books, then digitally scanning it, cleaning up the picture on a computer, and printing it out.
“Things start pretty casual, with just sketching or drawing. When it gets to the point when I want to start finishing pieces, I look through what I have and see what works together, and I layer things. Some things take years to finish, because I’ll start it, hate it, step away from it—and one day find it while I’m flipping through old stuff. I find a way to piece it together later with something else.”
A unique aspect of Stewart’s work is that it doesn’t contain any real message. He has no political or religious agenda with his work. Instead, he uses it only as an outlet for himself, pulling his inspiration from personal relationships.
“Right now I’m working on things without thinking about showing them. It’s going back to how I originally started making stuff—without a deadline or anything in mind. Just doing it to do it. It’s more hands-on, less digital. My work isn’t changing, but my outlook on it is. I’m not super concerned with the actual shows right now, but just with making stuff and being proud of it.”
Ian keeps a blog with contact information at
bigmention.blogspot.com.
