The pencil speaks the tongue of every land
I was born in Leicester and christened Rodney Arthur Ison. From a very young age I developed a passion for drawing as a way of self expression. At times, finding myself without paper on which to draw, I drew on the margins of my father’s books. I was hardly without a pencil in my hand. I wanted to capture the beauty of things and the essence of life itself.
Junior school photo taken in the last year at age eleven. I am fifth left, top row.
From junior school I won a place at Alderman Newton’s Boys Grammar School in the City center. The building still stands on Peacock Lane. It was built of red brick in Victorian times. The building was built to accommodate 500 pupils. There were about 1,000 in attendance when I joined. I felt discomfort and wondered why. Later I was diagnosed with the syndrome ‘an unreasonable fear of crowds.’ This was the reason for my discomfort for which there is no known cure. Later still I discovered I have Autistic Spectrum Disorder which accounts for the fear of crowds.
Upon Leaving School my passion for art was unwavering. Yet my parents did not allow me to continue studying it. They believed instead I should pursue a more stable occupation. They were alarmed by the antics and morality, or lack of it, of many prominent artists of the day. They perceived them as extravagant and reckless individuals who lost themselves to their caprice.
Finding myself unable to continue an artistic career I turned to the craft of woodcarver and gilder. Both are an artform in themselves. This enabled me to earn a living while pursuing a creative occupation. It lead to me finally taking over the prestigious firm of Richard Haworth, Blackburn. He was an art dealer, picture framer and restorer and a man of utmost integrity. I wanted to carry on his tradition.
Learning two crafts together added to my skills. It also provided both the opportunity and incentive to continue applying myself to painting. This interplay between my framing ability and painting further enriched my understanding of aesthetics. It enabled me to create artworks that seamlessly merged the two disciplines, that of the painting and the frame.
My artist’s creative spirit needed to be fed to stay alive. I discovered an ability for precise drawing particularly in portraiture. I attended life drawing class which is indispensable to the art of good drawing. During this time I learned the many intricacies connected to drawing the human face. One of these is the way right handed artists slope the drawing to the left. And left handed artists the right. Being conscious of this helps the artist avoid the tendency.
This drawing of Ruby, a little girl of African descent, was done in a few minutes. The little girl just fell asleep as children do. I picked up a piece of paper and brown chalk to quickly record the beauty I saw. Note how essential it was to get the right to left slope feature correct.
The work we do with our hands and minds can leave a lasting impact on the world around us. This includes producing nothing but what is useful or beautiful. It lead me to seek out the extraordinary within the mundane. To focuses on what I saw as wholly worth-while. This inspires both the creator and the observer to embrace a life filled with intention and purpose. Somewhere where art and functionality blend seamlessly.
This aspect of my ability led me to portrait painting and then to painting what I wanted to paint only. Aspects of tenderness found in those I paint. Which is why I paint mainly women and children, the most profound objects of tenderness.
There are three different artistic disciplines referred to in my life, Artist, Wood-carver and Gilder. Each one is an accomplishment in itself. Put the three together and you have a fulfilling experience. The ability to create the whole work of painting and frame. But I do not find perfection in any of them. I will always be looking to improve. This does not lead to frustration. It continues the creative spirit which seeks continuously to do better next time.
Rodney Ison Gallery 