Ink & Metal

Ian Hunter • John Thomson
Private view Thursday 15th May 6-9pm
Exhibition 16th to 24th May 2025

Meet the Artists Saturday 24th May 2-4pm

Ink & Metal features the printmaking of Ian Hunter and the sculpture of John Thomson. Friends and teaching colleagues since their days at Portsmouth Polytechnic in the 1970s, both artists have earned international recognition for their work.

Hunter’s vibrant silkscreen, etching and letterpress prints explore the character of urban life — its architecture, parks and coastlines. Thomson’s beaten, etched and textured steel sculptures draw on diverse influences, including flora, fauna, and fashion.

Both artists engage in visual storytelling through a combination of handcrafted and manufactured processes.

Ian Hunter – Printmaker

Ian Hunter grew up in London and studied at Saint Martin’s School of Art in the 1960s.

He developed his printmaking practice while working as a technician at Bournemouth and Poole College, later teaching at Portsmouth University.

His early prints explored the colour and contrast of landscape, while a more abstract approach has emerged in recent work. Hunter has exhibited widely across the UK and Europe, including at the Barcelona and Berlin Mini Print Biennales.

John Thomson – Sculptor

Originally from Dunedin, New Zealand, John Thomson has established a reputation for finely crafted steel sculpture and lyrical drawing.

His work explores the inevitable collision between the natural and industrial worlds, with an incisive, often wry focus.

Thomson has exhibited sculpture internationally and completed public and private commissions across the UK and Ireland, working with local communities and collaborating with architects, engineers, and fabricators.