Ian Varney completed his Advanced Diploma of Fine Art in 2004 at LaTrobe Street College of Art and New Media in Melbourne, Australia. He was a Toronto based Family Physician for 38 years.

Locations near water have always attracted Ian. His lakefront home and Studio on Soyers lake, in the Haliburton Highlands, provides an abundance of inspiration. The ocean, and coastline views also feature prominently in his paintings, and recall his years living in Australia, where he eventually became a citizen. His art frequently abstracts these various shoreline views. In the current body of work Ian seeks to represent the landscape by employing a variety of techniques and surfaces (canvas, birch panels and Claybord). The use of line, in various forms, is an integral part of the work. Squiggles, straight line, dragged paint are all employed to represent the landscape which he loves so much.