Ian's artistic practice began in earnest at the age of 43. He fuses his many years of training in classical painting [acquired in a minor seminary college in NSW] with techniques from Chinese calligraphy and painting.
At the age of 80 the Clear Light series of abstract ink paintings embody the artist's contemplation on his Eastern heritage, spirituality, and harmony.
"The past 40 years have been dedicated to my arts practice and it has taken me that long to arrive at this new stage in my work – a state of minimum distraction. I consider my earlier work to be derived from an external point of view. This new body of work points to an internal journey emphasising the duality of life and the power of empty space – clear light."
Ian de Souza, 2019
In Ian's 2007 work The Transformation: The Passion of Christ, His Crucifixion, Death and Resurrection, he had discovered the transformative possibilities of his art-making. He had also found an exciting new way to articulate how he thought and felt at this point in his life, as well as to integrate his Asian heritage with his practice. He was finally coming closer to finding himself...
[Extract: Natalie Foo Mei-Yi]
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