Interview with Ian de Souza – Freo Artist

Ian de Souza, now in his 87th year, is a much loved Fremantle artist, but he wasn’t always a visual artist.

After puzzling his way through a few years of Minor Seminary in New South Wales as a 16 year old in the mid 1950s, straight from a Catholic high school in Malaya, as it was then, Ian, then Mervyn, decided he needed to explore his artistic talents; and he did so first in Perth. Before he knew it he had carved out a successful career as a singer. Later, he redirected his talent and emerged as a self taught watercolour artist of some note around Fremantle some 4 decades and more ago; and later again, as an art teacher.

Ian says observation lies at the heart of his painting practice. He explains that for more than four decades, he has developed a disciplined approach grounded in drawing and the direct experience of landscape. This is all exemplified in his latest exhibition, Port to Pilbara, that has just opened at Found & Sorted Gallery, 138 South Terrace, Fremantle – right near the Wray Street commercial precinct.

Ian says the exhibition brings together two environments that have shaped his artistic vision: the maritime architecture of Fremantle and the ancient geological formations of the Pilbara, both executed en plein air.

The port city has long anchored the Ian’s life and practice. A series of monochrome drawings and paintings in the exhibition explores the geometry and rhythm of the built environment. The Fremantle Bridge appears as a recurring motif – an image Ian has revisited throughout his career, amongst many other recognisable Freo scenes. In contrast, the works developed in Karijini National Park respond to the powerful geological character of the Pilbara. Iron-rich earth, deep gorges and expansive skies create a terrain of striking chromatic intensity and shifting light.

Our Editor, Michael Barker, was pleased to catch up with Ian de Souza this week to make the podcast you’ll find below, in which we discuss Ian’s varied and amazing career, from Malaya to Freo and much in between. And what drives him. You won’t want to miss a word!

You can find the original article on Fremantle Shipping News here.