On the 30th May 2006, Ian Stables aged only 43 suffered an intra cerebral bleed, and tragically passed away. This site includes a collection of comments from his partner and friends, his clients and those who knew him by reputation alone, it is dedicated to Ian, his life, and his glorious work.
Tribute Book
Written by Administrator
Wednesday, 07 July 2004
Foreword to Ian Stables tribute book . ( or ' the man who never had a proper job')
Hello, my name is Gaye Stubbs, I was Ian's wife in all but marriage certificate for the last 27 years. This is my recollection of Ian's dedication and talent for painting and modelling during those happytimes:
We first met as teenagers in 1979 growing up in Essex. Ian was painting Hinchliffe and Airfix models in between revision.for A levels. Ian attended the University of Sheffield and he completed the first year of an undergraduate course in Zoology . He did not turn up at many lectures, he was too busy re-building Airfix kits and re-sculpting models, adding equipment and giving them life.
My mum provided our first home together in Woodford Green back in the early 1980's . That is the point in time when Ian and I turned up at Salute! armed with hand painted leaflets advertising Ian's paintingservices. Ian found an early and loyal client base. Barry Edwardswas Ian's first major customer and supported his work for almost 20 years . It also lead to the happy meeting of Ian with Kevin Dallimore. Kevin took on Ian as a painter with Special Forces and developed Ian's painting skills and recognizable style.