Ian Leaver-Blaxstone

(aka Beav-Art)

After training as a graphic designer, Ian began developing his signature style as an artist; experimenting with complimentary bold and bright images, he enfolds fragments of the modern world within vintage B-movies, mythology, folklore, and sci-fi themes.

After graduating Ian spent most of his early days touring in various bands as a bass player, both up and down the UK and internationally. Whilst building up a portfolio of commissioned work painting murals and canvases for clients.

In 2004, Ian moved to Nottingham, where he worked in reprographics for a few years, developing his technical knowledge and experience within the creative and print industries.

Following his time in Nottingham, Ian went on to work for the National Lottery based in Watford, where he was involved in developing creative ideas for a number of scratch cards, including the 2012 Olympic and Christmas scratch card campaigns. As part of the Olympic project, Ian and the creative team visited the Olympic Village in Stratford, East London to help generate ideas and develop the visual concepts surrounding the Games.

After taking a year off travelling around the world, Ian moved to Brighton, where he continued to develop his creative career and establish his artistic Pseudonym Beav-Art.

Nowadays Ian regularly exhibits within Brighton’s Artists Open Houses Festival and has displayed work in Helm Gallery Brighton, as part of the Unity exhibition. He was also shortlisted and exhibited his work for Worthing Museum, as part of the Open21 exhibition. Ian once had an original Beav-Art on display at Norman Cook’s (aka Fatboy Slim) Big Beach Café in Hove Lagoon. Which eventually sold to an art collector.

In 2019 Ian appeared as one of the contestants on Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year, where he painted Herstmonceux Castle in Hailsham from one of the shows famous pods.

Continuing his passion for all things B-movie, Ian has also appeared as a zombie in the mini web series ZOMBN1 – based on the critically acclaimed Brighton based, zombie themed board game by Paul Stapleton. 

His works have been published by Penguin (within Doctor Who: 100 Illustrated Adventures) and you can read about his art and inspiration in an interview with Art Etcetera magazine, Altered Lands (Edition VIII). 

Ian’s larger scale installation work has included a murmuration of over 2000 origami cranes. In collaboration with Dr Christa Beesley the piece, called Souls to Paradise, featured paper birds handmade by people who had lost loved ones to the Covid pandemic. The installation, both a memorial and image of hope, was on show at The Spire, St Mark’s, a decommissioned church in Brighton. It received national coverage on the BBC and ITV

In 2024 Ian was asked to work with the award-winning community arts charity ‘Same Sky’ to help create an art project for the Brighton & Sussex medical school to be held at Phoenix Art Space in Brighton. This project was called ‘One Size Fits 1 – Every Child is Different’ which was a family event to help educate and explore the research in asthma, eczema & allergies, working with families to create their own puppets in the workshops as part of the event.

Following on from the success of previous workshops, in 2025 Ian was asked to be part of the steering group for Fabrica Gallery Brighton, to help bring a new touring exhibition based on East Brighton called ‘Three Tenses – The Whitehawk Great Map. Inspired by the idea that maps shape the way we see the world. Working with young people and Artist Dan Thompson to create a multi-media Mappa Mundi.

Since 2017 Ian has worked as an Artist in Residence for Wellsbourne Healthcare CIC. Here he works to promote art within East Brighton and give local residents a platform for their work. curating exhibitions in the surgery, whilst running workshops and art projects.

Ian is also one of the longest running members of the ‘Our Place Festival’ Steering Group since 2017, in association with Brighton Dome/Festival. This is where he helps devise ways to bring many art forms into the community and involve local residents/patients in the performances.

Ian’s work can currently be seen in Sky Arts Artist of the Year Gallery. He is also a regular artist at Jules Emporium Gallery in Brighton, Tokyo Monster, Puzzle Bored & Saatchi Art