If artist Ian Ross has his way, that’s exactly what visitors who view his new work at Public Market will do.

“If somebody can sit down and get lost in it … and have something to look as they eat, instead of just focusing on their screens, but to have a complex and serious artwork … if they find a little bit of peace and serenity there, that for me is ideal.”

Over a career spanning more than a decade, Ian Ross has created works throughout the world that do just that. Ian studied ceramics in college and was subsequently greatly influenced by the graffiti he saw in Europe. He works in a variety of forms, from clay to paint on canvas or walls to raking sand on ocean beaches.

Ian’s weeklong painting at Public Market captured the excitement of everyone who encountered the artist’s process. Crowds gathered to view him in action.

Ian is used to audiences while he creates. Whether that’s visitors to Public Market or beach-goers who encounter his ephemeral designs on waterfronts, he notes there’s a performance quality to his artwork.

“Painting a big wall, fast and fluid for people is the best … It’s fun to elevate the process for an audience.”

The theme of Ian’s mural at Public Market was inspired by the notion of local food and agriculture. While his work is abstract – a combination of gestural marks in conjunction with the medium he’s working in – Ian explains that the natural shapes the brush makes are like building blocks. When put together, the shapes appear to represent specific images. A teardrop can look like a bird diving. Vertical lines appear to be sprouts of wheat.

Visit Public Market to see what images you spy in Ian’s mural.