There’s a soft serenity to the eerie artwork of Ian Hodgson, or as he so eloquently puts it, “gritty undertones softened by ethereal overtones”. Expect monotones, and then scroll through his Instagram and you’ll notice a smack of red.
Based in Brighton, he came into the art game a little later than some, at the age of 30 but better late than never. Impressively he graduated with a first class degree and moved to Brighton, U.K. and this is where he settled and became a fully-fledged artist.
As expected, he draws in the local art-appreciating crowd of Brighton, but he had also exhibited further afield in the U.K. and internationally with success.
Felicity Carter: What is your first memory of art?
Ian Hodgson: My first memory of art is the J. H. Lynch ‘Tina’ print that adorned ours and many other living room walls during the 1960s and 1970s.
FC: Tell us about your background and how you became an artist…
IH: As a very young child, I wanted to be an artist. I also wanted to be a monkey but when I realized that it wasn’t possible to be both a monkey and an artist I settled on being an artist. I have always spent time drawing and after a few faltering attempts at further art education and alternative careers as a washer upper, commie chef, signwriter, factory worker and record shop assistant I finally settled into my art degree in Bradford, Yorkshire, at the tender age of 30. I then began to take the art thing a bit more seriously and graduated with a first-class degree and moved down to Brighton. From here I have slowly built up an art career, exhibiting and selling locally, nationally and now internationally. I have worked in a launderette and had a number of domestic cleaning jobs to give me a regular income and allow my practice to develop.
FC: Which artists past or present have had an impact on you?
IH: Alongside some of the past masters like Carravagio, Egon Schiele and Francis Bacon I find I am usually attracted to artists who are unafraid to pursue their unique vision regardless of the fashion of the times. I admire contemporary artists Tracy Emin, Chloe Piene, David Hockney and Antony Micallef for their individual approach and David Shrigley for his insightful wit.
FC: How would you sum up your aesthetic?
IH: I think my aesthetic can be summed up as hard gritty undertones softened by ethereal overtones.
FC: What do you look to communicate through your work?
IH: In my figurative work, I’m usually trying to communicate a thought or an emotion, a psychological state whereas in my abstract/landscape works I am often attempting to find some light in the dark, a contemplative place. I guess they are all a form of self-portraiture.
FC: How has your style evolved?
IH: I think my work has evolved in many ways but I have tried, over time, to lessen the number of ideas I put into individual pieces in an attempt to clarify and suggest rather than clutter and bombard the viewer. The old adage of ‘less is more’ rings true in theory but presents me with an ongoing challenge in practice. The evolution will be simplified…
FC: What’s the best piece of advice that you’ve been given when handling the art world?
IH: There has been much conflicting advice given regarding handling the art world but over time I have sifted through the many voices to cherry-pick what I feel works for me. Don’t pursue trends and fashion hoping to make money, your artwork will become compromised and you’ll become trapped in a creative cul-de-sac.
Get paid work to support yourself.
Find your own voice and don’t be afraid to shout or, speak quietly.
Size really isn’t everything.
Don’t wait for inspiration, work and it will appear.
Get the work out there, be prepared for rejection, get the work out there more.
Don’t give up.
See more from the artist on his website.
