Watch: Powys artist’s stunning hyper-real drawings

A talented artist from Powys has been acclaimed for his hyper-real drawings, including a stunning portrait of award-winning actor Eddie Marsan, who loved it so much he thought it was a photograph.

Ian Bourne works in mental health and social care and draws exquisite portraits in his spare time.

He says that the balance of art and the ‘day job’ is right for him, keeping him balanced and grounded.

He told Nation Cymru “I had to stop taking new commissions a few years ago, as the waiting list reached 200+, so I don’t actively seek new work. I have had solo shows around the world, so that is my main drive, art wise.”

Oh my God Ian, this is incredible.. I thought it was a photograph. https://t.co/GAhH4W2R2P

— Eddie Marsan (@eddiemarsan) May 6, 2022

Following all the attention on his work this week, Bourne said on Twitter: “Many of you seem surprised I don’t do this art thing full time. I actually work in social care, and have done so for 17 years, and fit in art around that.

“Whilst art is a great thing to do, my job is a good buffer. Helping others seems to help my mental health when things get a little dark, and drawing provides a good compliment. I can’t imagine either not being in my life. We all, of course, have our struggles and art helps mine,

“Which is why I don’t strive for anything other than trying to be as good as I can. I have been blessed to have shown my work around the world, have been lucky to get some big commissions (it’s on Google), but had to stop taking new commissions in 2018 when the list got too long.”

When he started drawing again later in life, his pictures of rock stars drew widespread attention and Brad Pitt commissioned him to draw a portrait of Nick Drake. His work was also exhibited three times in New York between 2014 and 2017, and also in Berlin.

You can see more of Ian’s work on his Twitter feed