KINK feature: Ian Stone
The Smell of Masculinity
ORIGINAL PAINTING STILL AVAILABLE: email artist@dandyqueerart.com for pricing.
artist: Ian Stone
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
@ianstoneart on IG
[dandy:] Your work in five words or less?
[Ian Stone:] Queer figurative realism, with a touch of baroque theatre.
Turn ons?
Being in the studio with a paintbrush.
Turn offs?
Disorganization
Plant Selfie
ORIGINAL PAINTING AVAILABLE: email artist@dandyqueerart.com for pricing.
Favorite subject?
What brings me the most pleasure is painting portraits. There’s something about eyes that is just intensely engaging to paint. However, difficult to paint subjects and textures are also my favorite.
Ideal place to display your work?
Any museum, gallery, or artist run center. Accessibility is important, where people can see the work in person.
Favorite non-art pastime?
Listening to true-crime podcasts and jogging.
Fragile
Most memorable project?
One of the first shows I participated in was a group show called “Masters of Print” and I showed alongside Picasso and Matisse. I studied printmaking for both my BFA and MFA.
Art crush?
There are so many art crushes but two artists that I’m always in awe of are John Currin and Salman Toor. John Currin for his insane realism and kooky subject matter, and Salman Toor for his colorful expressiveness and honesty.
Personal crayon color?
Vermilion Rosebud- which would also be my drag name if that were ever to happen. A rich warm red that recalls the inner body.
Morning Routine
ORIGINAL PAINTING AVAILABLE: email artist@dandyqueerart.com for pricing.
What is unique about your process?
I believe most people would say that my use of color and my ability to paint reflective surfaces are my strengths. They just happen to be the two things I’m most fascinated by.
Why make art?
My drive to make art is all about documenting contemporary issues through paint. More specifically, I want to paint subjects that are sometimes seen as low-brow, that are not usually painted through traditional realist painting.
What's next?
I’m starting to plan a series of large scale portraits of gay men, and getting into drawing a bit more as well. My goal is to loosen up and have elements of expressiveness and realism co-existing in the same space. Also, instead of relying solely on the subjects to evoke masculinity or femininity, I want to explore how to use technique and mark-making as signals instead.
