Meet Ian Cook: The man who paints cars with remote control cars
If you’re a petrolhead with an eye for art you’ve likely seen Ian Cook’s work. We sat down with him to learn all about POPBANGCOLOUR...
Alex Goy is a freelance motoring journalist who writes for the likes of Motor1, Carfection and CNET.
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When you first see Ian you immediately notice that he’s covered in paint. His hands are a kaleidoscope of dried on ink and paint, his glasses spattered, even his iPhone hasn’t escaped accidental decoration. He jokes that when he takes his mobile to Apple for repair they ask if he knows it’s got paint in it. He does. I’m pretty sure there’s paint in his bloodstream.
He’s a chipper chap with an easy smile and a gentle Midlands accent, usually found on his hands and knees painting cars with remote control cars either in his studio at Fargo Village, Coventry, or at automotive and motorsport events all over the world. Ian’s MO is painting big portraits of cars using remote control cars, bikes, and tyres in front of an audience. The art itself is arresting, the performance is mesmerising. And it all started because he ignored his ex-girlfriend.
“Essentially the process started in 2007. That's when I got the radio controlled car from my ex-girlfriend – she bought the car and said to me, ‘Don't take it down to the studio, don't get paint on it.’ So the experimentation started late 2007, that's 12 years ago now.”
His first artwork was for Auto Express magazine in 2008 – a Honda Civic Type R, side on, and fairly simple compared to what he does now. It was a start, and one that lead pretty quickly to big things. Literally... big things.
“The first major event that I really attended was Goodwood, where I painted a portrait of Lewis Hamilton, because that year the theme of the event was Hawthorn to Hamilton.
"I painted his [Hamilton’s] portrait, I then was approached by Reebok and MC Saatchi, the advertising agency, to create a giant portrait of Lewis. It was displayed on Potters Field Park, next to the Mayor’s office in Central London, which was then on display in the run up to the Brazilian Grand Prix.”
Cook didn’t simply leave university with a slightly mucky R/C car and become POPBANGCOLOUR though. He, like many artists, had a real person job at first. He created miniature versions of himself (ish): “At that time, I was still teaching. I was a teacher for a couple years, but I always wanted to be an artist.” He got lucky and made art his full time job thanks to hard work, being clever with what he did, and being damn good.
His works are a performance, he doesn’t hide himself away in a silent sanctum but gets himself out and about. Having performed at events all over the world, being seen must be a good way to get his kicks, right?
“I love being at new events and I've been fortunate enough to be at Formula 1 for many years now. And I don't watch the racing, I'm there to entertain. I'm there to be part of somebody else's experience."
Cook isn’t quite done with teaching. As well as making his performances public, he’ll let people who’ve commissioned his work add their own flair to their piece, and he even does school workshops and corporate team building activities. He usually gives them a bit that won’t be too taxing, but in some cases it can go wrong: “The race drivers, they want to doughnut it and they do... and they see the paint and they're like 'Yeah!' And you're like, 'Oh God.' You've now caused me another three hours work. Thanks.”
Mercifully it’s not all race drivers. Cook’s works take about a week to put together – from initially choosing an image, working with the client, creating it in public, and then going over it again before scanning it in and handing it over to a client’s shiny shiny wall space.
For Cook, though, it’s more than the sum of its parts: “Yes, I have got a Fine Art degree. Yes, I've done all the arty background knowledge to it and I can talk about that side of it if people need to know, if they do like that artsy end to it. For me, this is about car ownership. I'm creating people's passions, their interests… I'll create a one off artwork of something and I'll put the same amount of passion into this as I'll do for the next piece.
"If I'm painting, I'm enjoying it. This is my job. Same as a writer, same as an actor on a stage. They love being on that stage and I love painting and creating – and I love nothing more than an event where people are watching me paint.”
Want an original Ian Cook? Head to popbangcolourshop.com or @popbangcolour on the usual social networks. Fancy your favourite car in his style? Chances are he’s painted it and there’s a print waiting for you…
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Comments (7)
Such a mucky pasttime
Well i read the intro very wrong...my first thought was that fucker aint going near my cars paint with that untill i see the picture haha
I've met this guy a coupe of times at the Silverstone classic, bought a couple of pieces too, awesome to watch it take shape
He was at London classic car show
I have a couple of his prints, very cool
So do I they look great