Ian Houston

British born 1934

Mr Houston, who is also a trained concert pianist, trained at St Martin’s School of Art in London after he studied at the Royal College of Music. He moved to North Walsham in 1964 where he taught art at the town high school.

He met Edward Seago, who died in 1974, in 1957 while the young artist was exhibiting at the Tyron Gallery in London. Under Seago’s guidance he became committed to a career in landscape painting. Mr Houston, who now lives in London said: “Ted was enormously generous and such a nice person. He used to give me a box of paintings to copy. I have still got a great love of East Anglia. The light is quite special and because it is flat you get wonderful skies.”

Ian Houston had his first solo exhibition at Mandell’s Gallery, Norfolk in 1974. After this he bought the sea-going Thames Spritsail Barge “Raybell”(and subsequently gained Master’s Certificate) in order to study sea weather and traditional sail in action.

He became a member of the Guild of Norwich Painters in 1994 and recently became the group’s president.

Ian Houston has exhibited regularly in London and in the UK since 1956 and worldwide since 1970.