Alan Irvine, Norwich, Suffolk, England
Member Since December 2013
Artist Statement I was born into the Royal Air Force in 1955 and apparently was drawing from a very early age, mostly aircraft for obvious reasons being surrounded by them, which have been a life-long love of mine, including actually flying them!
From the age of two weeks I travelled the world with my family living in many exotic countries, including of course England, before it was thought that I ought to be settled back into more permanent education in Herefordshire, where I developed and honed my skills as an artist and my love of aviation, militaria, cars and transportation generally.
Quite often my commissions involve these subjects either directly or I am asked to incorporate elements of these within a wider brief.
After several very enjoyable years getting my B.A. degree in art and design, in 1979 I went to London to become an illustrator and designer, working full-time, eventually turning freelance, for a wide variety of agencies using most mediums including airbrush, covering publishing, advertising, retail, commercial as well as many private commissions, including portraits and 'faux' paintings, which is, basically, what I still do to this day from my studio in our Suffolk garden.
I love the discipline of drawing in coloured pencil and my style is usually realistic, (...hyper at times!), although I can and do adapt to the requirements of the client, which can be loose if needed.
I have lectured in drawing and illustration, ( including fashion illustration ), at several colleges in London,and Brighton and, alongside my commercial work as a commissioned artist and cartoonist, I run life drawing classes, another life long love of mine having been trained in the classical school of drawing, sometimes drawing just hands for weeks! Wonderful..!
It may be of interest to some that I have worked in the more 'adult' area of publishing which I am still asked to do occasionally and which I offer in the form of personalised 'pin up' drawings, in the '50's Vargas, Elvgren, Moran, D'Ancona style.
It all boils down to the fact that my prime love is, and always will be, holding a pencil...plain and simple.
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