Inside Ian James Roche’s Intuitive Pastel Process: The Artistcloseup Interview

Ian James Roche’s interview with Artistcloseup offers a close view of how an abstract painting develops in his studio. Rather than describing a composition planned in advance, he explains a process guided by attention, feeling and the gradual emergence of line and colour. The conversation makes clear that intuition is an active way of working, not simply the absence of a plan.

Working, stepping back and returning

Roche describes working in short bursts and allowing time away from a painting. Between sessions, photographs of the work in progress help him return to it with another perspective. That alternation between making and looking is important: a mark that feels right in the moment still has to find a relationship with the rest of the composition.

He generally begins without preliminary drawings, leaving room for a painting to change as it develops. This should be understood as an account of his usual approach rather than a rule without exceptions; in another interview he identifies Intimacy Eclipso as one of the works for which he did make a sketch.

Listening as a source of imagery

The Artistcloseup conversation moves beyond visual references. Roche discusses inspiration from books, dreams, music and lived experience, and describes how hearing people speak about their lives can suggest a colour or a line. Abstract form becomes a response to experience rather than a literal illustration of it.

He also names artists whose work matters to him, including Sol LeWitt, Hilma af Klint and David Tremlett. These references place his interests in a conversation about scale, spiritual expression and drawing, while leaving room for the personal character of his own pastel work.

Healing as a personal theme

Roche speaks of making art as a way to understand his life and describes healing as a recurring theme. That is his account of a personal creative experience, not a promise that a painting provides a medical treatment. It helps explain why emotional openness and sensitivity recur in the language he uses around the work.

To follow the process visually, explore the pastel paintings, ink drawings and Drawing Books. The interview also recalls his 2018 solo show at Five Points Annex in Connecticut; the gallery pages provide exhibition context. Together, these views connect studio decisions with the finished works and the spaces in which people encounter them.