ian emes contemporary art

Ian Emes was born to a working class family in the industrial heartland of Sheffield in the late 1950s when cutlery and steel-making were the backbone of a harsh and unforgiving way of life. As a child of parents who worked long hours in manual trades, Ian was often alone and took solace in painting, gaining inspiration from the dark landscape of his home city.

Ian acknowledges that during his school years, he was more interested in arts and crafts and struggled with more academic subjects. Indeed, he is very proud to reveal that one of his early paintings was sold to his former English teacher!