Ian Stevens was born in Saranac Lake shortly before the sun reached its zenith on the day of the summer solstice in the year 1982. The product of a union between a paper mill accountant and a papermaker, Ian eventually took up the task of inscribing art on the face of its pale wilderness, much like the desolate hinterland of upstate New York inscribed itself upon his impressionable young brain. The somber textures of the skins of barns and black mazes of barren forests have heavily influenced his work.
He graduated from Bennington college with a major in art. Printmaking and the written word made up a large part of his study, including the intricate mechanisms that make up a printing press. Cast-iron gears and levers have been a subsequent influence on his work as well. His inked architectural series began there with a fantastical cattywampus treehouse, textured with drypoint lines and wood grain.
Additionally, he participated in the sublegendary SERB recording sessions and lent his vocals to a death metal single, among other pursuits.
For the time being, Ian Stevens lives and works in Portland, Oregon. When he is not busy drawing or writing, he records dirges on an old foot-pump organ.
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