Ian Mastin was born in Leicestershire, England, and as a child moved with his family to Queensland, Australia. In 1991 he returned with his family to Britain, settling in East Lothian. It was here that he started his successful career as an artist. He now splits his time between Australia and the UK.

After exploring fundamental techniques in painting, he rapidly discovered traditional still life painted in acrylics and developed an excellence for the technique. Though he gains inspiration from numerous sources such as the Dutch and Flemish Masters of the 17th Century, his work also suggests a timeless quality that is not bound by tradition or convention. In particular, Mastin enjoys working with items of simple utilitarian use – the detritus of life from earlier generations – a sense of appreciation in reflecting upon old, used everyday objects which may have little intrinsic value other than an attachment to an intimate past.