Ivars Jansons, 1939 | Plein Air painter

Ivars Jansons was born in Latvia. After completing his secondary education Ivars took up architectural studies where the opportunity arose to express him self artistically so he would often produce small watercolor studies.

In 1964 Ivars turned professional and in 1967 held his first solo exhibition in Green Glades Gallery Melbourne, one of many successful exhibitions which were sold out within an hour of opening. Painting trips locally and interstate were very much a part of Ivars career. In 1969 he painted extensively in New Zealand and in 1972 traveled overseas to expand his knowledge in art. Leonard Fuller was Ivars teacher at the St Ives School of Painting.

Ivars became interested in portraiture and figure work as a result of his studies. However the rugged beauty of the Cornish countryside tempted him to paint his surroundings. After seventeen months abroad studying painting and visiting Europe’s finest galleries Ivars and his family returned to Australia.

In 1988 Ivars launched his first book, Ivars Jansons Oils and Watercolors. Since that time Ivars has been published in many books, held successful exhibitions and received many prestigious awards as he continues his career as an artist. Ivars exhibits at Sorrento and Flinders Fine Art Galleries on the Mornington Peninsula.

"To me, the art of composition and design, or the pictorial arrangement of the subject, is of primary importance. In the initial stages of the painting I attempt to design the underlying shapes of dark and light areas to be bold, simple and pleasing to the eye. If this initial stage has been well conceived, then the painting has a good chance of being successful. One can therefore reason that the initial abstract shapes in the painting are more important than the subject matter itself.

At first sight, a subject may appear very complex, yet there is something within it that is compelling and paint able. The art then is to single out that which interests me most within that complexity and give it prominence on the canvas. Therefore it is quite true to say that for a composition to be interesting and successful it is more important to learn to see better, than to paint better.

Once the focal interest has been decided upon, then the rest of the canvas should support this dominant idea by painting the surroundings less prominently and eliminating all unnecessary detail.

A very important aspect of my art is colour. In fact, this often influences and inspires me to tackle a subject in the first place. Colour seems to have an instant emotional response to me as and artist. For me, the use of colour is also a very important aspect in creating a particular mood, feeling or atmosphere.

So the things that are uppermost in my mind after choosing a subject are the pattern, focal point and colours, and the relationship between the three. If there is success in combining these aspects, and the viewer can share and get pleasure in what I have tried to show in the work, then there is fulfillment for both viewer and artist".