The Desire to Experiment
Near Moree in north-western New South Wales, this gifted ‘man on the land’ nurtures a passion for painting the wild plains that surround him – while capturing their many moods and characters.
Ian Reardon first became interested in art through his grandfather who worked in pencil and watercolours and also painted window-front signs for shops in Grafton.
Ian took art as a subject at the Southport school on Queensland’s Gold Coast when he was 12 years old. Art was always his favourite subject. During his school years, his grandfather entered two of Ian’s works in the Jacaranda Art Exhibition. He was delighted and encouraged to receive a first prize in the Under 14 section for a watercolour, and a ‘highly commended’ in the Open section for a pastel picture.
“I left school at 16 years of age to work on the family farm,” Ian relates. “I am still there today; and now run the property with my son Dan. Those early years, for me, cemented a great love of the land and all that goes with it … including horses, dogs and cattle. I love my life in the bush; I love the characters associated with it – like some of the shearers, station hands, jackaroos and drovers that I cross paths with. Some of my fondest memories are of droving and meeting fascinating country people. These elements often appear in many of my paintings.”
Ian Reardon was far too busy in his youth to continue with art. The life he led at that time wasn’t really conducive to painting. The illness of his father was what propelled him to return to art – so, ironically, out of something hard and upsetting came something that he was excited and passionate about.
“My father was seriously ill and my mother couldn’t look after him alone, so I had to take time out from the farm to help,” he explains. “After moving my father around and taking care of the odd jobs I found myself with time on my hands – something I wasn’t that comfortable with. To fill in time, I decided to take up the brushes and see where it would lead me. I took myself down to the
local art shop and was amazed by the huge range of art materials available – things had really changed in this area since my school days.”
The spark was quickly re-ignited for Ian.
“I found that I really loved using colours, sketching, and telling stories through painting,” he says. “Since then, art has become a great passion of mine; and every spare minute I can get away from work on the farm I retreat to my studio and paint. I find it’s a great way to relax and something that I really enjoy doing.”
This man has a great desire to experiment with new mediums, painting surfaces and methods. He finds that trying new mediums and looking for new ways of doing things prevents him from becoming stale … and he would definitely recommend this strategy to other artists.
One of his favourite mediums is pen and ink. Pen and ink pictures with watercolour washes have a special look of their own: They are casual; they are good for depicting humorous episodes; and they are quick and fun to do. They work well with characters, landscapes, streetscapes and still life images; as well as quick sketches.
Most of Ian Reardon’s sales have been through commissions, art exhibitions and contacts made through his local framer at the ‘Red Shed’ in Moree.
He has invested a lot of time in the past decade learning from various masters of various mediums and trying to expand his skill base to improve his work. He has been instructed by some wonderfully talented artists including Miles Autty (watercolours), Tony Champ (acrylics), Herman Pekel (acrylics), Jenny Mcnaughton (watercolours), Barbara Mcmanus (watercolours), Lyn Diefenbock (pastels), Robert Wade (watercolours) and Robert Wilson (oils).
“Although I have found the many workshops and classes I have taken very helpful, I have been careful not to spend too much time working with one particular artist,” Ian says. “I want to allow my own style to develop without too much influence from one particular area.”
Two artists who greatly influenced his work were Hugh Sawrey and Sir Patrick Kilvington – both men captured the feel of life in the bush so well. Both these artists spent many years as jackaroos and drovers while pursuing their artistic endeavours. Ian’s view is that if someone spends a wealth of time with their subject – living it – they will really have a feel for it, and know it well … and that will come out in their work.
He is also in awe of the early French Impressionists (Degas in particular), as well as the Australian Impressionists.
Ian Reardon’s farm is situated southeast of Moree. He has lived there all his life. The Kaputar National Park between Narrabri and Moree has always fascinated him, too, and often finds its way into his wonderful paintings. I