William Packer, principal art critic of the Financial Times 1974–2004, said, "As a painter, Ian stands quite consciously – for he knew full well what he was up to – within the great English, or rather British watercolour tradition. So much is obvious; but simply to invoke the great names of Turner or Girtin, Cox or Cotman is perhaps to miss the point, for the tradition continued to develop and ramify through the next two hundred years."
