Ian Rayer-Smith

Art Brokerage: Ian Rayer-Smith British Artist: b. 1970. British painter Ian Rayer-Smith refers to himself as a contemporary expressionist. His abstract canvases use bold colors and prominent brushstrokes to convey a powerful sense of energy. Additionally, he cites the Abstract Expressionists as influencing his mark-making, and Renaissance artists for his sense of composition and movement. "My pressing urge is to use paint to explore new forms which will ultimately carry emotional weight," he wrote in his artist statement, adding, "I think of my paintings as posing a series of questions rather than providing overt statements or narrative pointers towards any clear kind of answer. There would be no joy or satisfaction in doing that. Instead, the process is more about showing my search for something which, maybe, I hope I'll never find."