Ian Day
Ian Day is a Northern California-based photographer and digital artist. Originally from Omaha, Nebraska, his mother was an artist and art teacher who encouraged his early passion for drawing. He began his art education at age six, taking lessons at the Joslyn Art Museum where his mother taught. His advanced training includes a BFA from the School of Art at University of Iowa and an MFA from Northwestern University, where he was a teaching assistant to Jack Burnham and was appointed a post-graduate instructor for several years. More recently he served on the Mill Valley Arts Commission.
At present Ian works primarily in the digital art and photography realm, although he has past experience as a painter and printmaker. More recently he has begun experimenting with encaustics, utilizing some of his photographic images in the process. He looks to expand his endeavors in this ancient medium. Over the years, Ian has exhibited throughout the Midwest and California.
Artist’s Statement
My art reflects an interplay between nature, culture and spirituality and aspires to demonstrate the interconnectedness between these themes. I like to blur the boundaries between representation and abstraction and often find that one derives from the other. My focus is on whatever I happen to be exploring in the world around me at any given time, allowing images to resonate in my mind’s eye.
Although photography is at the core of my work, I have always had an affinity for mixed media. My expanded toolbox includes a Nikon, a MacBook, an iPad, an iPhone, Photoshop, a Wacom tablet, a sketchbook, various graphite utensils, markers and pastels. Inspiration generally finds me while I’m not actively pursuing it. It can come through music, natural and cultural environments, meditation, other artists’ work, moments in film, passages in literature.
I seek audiences of all ages and persuasions who are drawn to visual expression, particularly those looking for new voices in the art world. A sense of enjoyment arises from establishing dialogs with other artists and art enthusiasts.