In the 2021 Liberation International Music Festival, you’ll probably notice the stunning art accompanying each event and on the posters that are up on the island. Those beautiful images are by Jersey artist, Ian Rolls. Ian is a full time artist who is well known in Jersey in the Channel Islands, where he has lived for most of his life.
Ian has travelled widely and his travels have been an important source of inspiration for him as an artist. He has spent prolonged periods living and working in India & Sri Lanka, cultures which have deeply affected his life. Ian has shown his work in solo or group exhibitions in India, Sri Lanka, Germany, France, England and regularly in Jersey. Wherever he is, the images he produces are characteristically quirky, playful and up-lifting. His work can be found in collections worldwide.
We recently had a quick interview with Ian to get to know him better.
At what age did you decide to become an artist?
There was no decision as such... as far as I can remember there was never a time when I wasn’t an artist, in that I always produced art and liked doing it. So I just carried on.
What do you love most about being an artist?
Art is my way of coping with life. It is a therapy and a way of processing the world in all it’s confusion and challenges. I have always loved turning negatives into positives using the magic power of creativity, be that using found objects, perceived “rubbish” or just negative emotions to produce art.
Are you from Jersey originally?
My mother is Jersey born, but I was born in Banbury in Oxfordshire, the area where my father was brought up. The family moved to Jersey when I was 3 and I had all my education in the island.
What is your favourite Jersey landscape or view?
St Ouen’s Bay is the reason I have lived in Jersey for most of my life. The open wildness is a breathing space in what could be a very claustrophobic small island. But I love the incredible variety of the landscape here, which makes the island seem much bigger than it is.
What’s your favourite colour and why?
Turquoise... the colour of the sea on a bright windy day with white sand drifting over the beach.
What or who inspires you most?
Meditation has had a life changing effect on my life and is a very important part of my creative practice. I have been meditating regularly twice a day for nearly 30 years and for me it is what keeps me in balance most of the time.
If you hadn’t become an artist, what job would you have wanted to do?
After doing a degree in fine art, I did a post graduate qualification in painting restoration, which was my main source of income for many years. It was a fascinating profession which enabled me to travel to India with an international project, where I met my wife, also a restorer.
What is on your bucket list?
I want to build an eco house by the sea in Sri Lanka. I spent a year in Sri Lanka with my wife and son in 2005 and fell in love with the place, the people and the culture. I’d love to return for what would essentially be a big creative project, working in and with nature.
Which historical figure would you choose to have dinner with?
I’ve never been a big fan of dinner parties, so I’ll pass on the conventional dinner party scenario. But it would be fascinating to have a cup of chai with Siddhartha Gautama, better known as the Buddha.
Where can people buy your work?
I have my own gallery called The Pitt Stream Gallery in Pitt Street in St Helier (just off Charring Cross). It shows a wide selection of my work including original paintings and prints as well as the ceramics of my wife Ruth. www.pittstream.gallery www.ianrolls.co.uk
Thank you Ian for your wonderful art of the island and for allowing us to feature it in this year’s festival!