Every Picture has a story.. this one went to war!

A few weeks ago I recieved an email for a serving soldier in Afganistan, the long and the short of it was that he was a fan of my work, had 10 months to go until coming home next March. His room/accomodation had no window and could I send him a painting on loan to brighten up his view?

He sent me picture to show how dismal it is.

Well after a bit of consideration and internet searching to make sure he was who he said he was... one has to be a little cautious, I sent one of my landscape paintings, in the hope that when he looks at it it will remind him of a traquil Engish dawn waiting for him when he gets back to our green and pleasant land. I think it does the job perfectly.

I explained to him that I didn't do loans, and that I don't want it back hopefully one day when he's chief of staff he'll give me an MOD contract :0)... actually it's good do a kindness and he deserves it for his cheekyness and lateral thinking, which afterall is what makes our army better than most.

simonsgallery.com

moral booster for the British Army!

Bad tasting art

Last week Tracy Emin's "Unmade Bed" sold for £2.2m ....

I can't help but think that if you have more sense you would probably want to spend your money on something much more pleasant that you can actually hang on your wall and enjoy. I get that if you're mega rich you might want to demonstrate this by investing in objects with notoriety but you might also want to spread some of your wealth in areas that are more deserving.

Whilst I'm very pleased for Tracy and happy that Saatchi made a profit on his £150k investment I can't help but think that spread around £2.2m could have done a lot more good to hard working artists trying to make a living without the backing of Saatchi or the patronage of the very rich.

I often toy with the idea of producing one piece of work and pricing it so high it seems to the majority to be ridiculously priced but so far I haven't been able to bring myself to do it. The most expensive piece in my gallery - simonsgallery.com - is £3750 and this is a painting of The Great Wave of Kanagawa. taking 5 weeks to complete I think I'm probably under pricing myself too. I like my art to transform a room and yes it can be controvertial but mostly it enhances how you feel about the world and your environment.

I don't resent other artist's success and good fortune and if you're wealthy beyond most peoples comprehension good luck to you, but I think it's a sad comment on society now that there are people so rich, where money means so little to them and they can pay £2.2m for an unmade bed! Surely there are worthier causes, it seems to me to be less about art and more about money and PR..... personally I think it demonstrates bad taste.

simonsgallery.com

real art direct from the artist

London Underground

 

I love painting images of London. often taking inspiration from some of my photography as is the case with these paintings themed on the London Underground signs outside of tube stations. I'm not sure if I'll manage to get all 270 stations completed but it's an interesting prospect.

As you can see these have proved a popular theme in my art and many have been sold already including Piccadily, Canary Wharf and Waterloo, I guess it's a great way to show you love London by owning one of these iconic images of London and certainly a cool way to express yourself in your interior design. I certainly enjoy painting them and if there is a particular station which has significance for you then I'm happy to come along & take a photo of it & paint you a very personal memory of London for you.

simonsgallery.com

art direct from the artist

Art Commission

A client had seen one of my earlier small works and emailed me to ask if I could reproduce a larger painting in the same style and colours. I was happy to oblige.

The original was painted onto an mdf panel and was an abstract landscape with the title "Summer Storm".

As the commissioned work was to be larger to hang in a space above a sofa I suggested that the new work be painted onto canvas, as the larger size would make using mdf too heavy.

I remained faithful to the colour palette of the original for this commission & tried, and I think succeeded, in achieving the same level of intensity, light & movement.

It's great to be able to create something individual for a client, and from their standpoint they get exactly what they want to fit with their interior design.

I have given the new work the title of "Summer Storm Passing", a promise of brighter horizons to come, and as for the client's reaction... in their words..... "WOW!"

As you can see from the images below it certainly was a lovely work and one I was very pleased with.

 

If you would like to commission a work of art for your space, then just go to my website and take a look at the various styles and individual works I've created past and present. I'm always happy to work with you to create something special for your particular needs which is unique to you.

simonsgallery.com

art direct from the artist

Spring has Sprung

The first warm days of spring bring out the blossom in the trees, a special time of year marking the end of darker winter days. I've been continuing to explore the theme of spring through April & May and my studio as a result has been full of blossom, really quite cheery. From the stark brown and black of winter in the hedgerows an explosion of white occurs early in the season and looks wonderful set against a deep blue sky. A few weeks later the leaves begin to appear and a flush of green is introduced to the palette.

I've also been experimenting with different background colours and it would seem that this style works with most tones. Here the blossom is set against brown and red and both work equally well.

Painted in abstract style, built up in numerous layers, these pieces of art will bring some spring colour and light into your living space with real style and will remind you of how wonderful this season is, even if the weather can be a little challenging at times. Feel free to give me a call or send me an email if you would like to specify a size or colour combination for your own commissioned blossom and bring a real wow factor to your interior design.

simonsgallery.com

art direct from the artist

London Old & New

 

I just love painting the London Cityscape, the mixing the new buildings with the old must be a tricky business for the architects and planners. Their efforts make for an interesting mix in my paintings. My latest work shows the Millennium Bridge, yes the wobbly one!, with St Paul's in the background and is a great example of how modern architecture can quickly mix comfortably with the older buildings in this ever changing landscape.

Painted in a photorealistic popart style I used a limited tonal pallet to create a striking piece of art bringing the urban cityscape to your living space and a little piece of iconic London for those that love this great city.

simonsgallery.com - art direct from the artist

the real definition of affordable art

There are any number of so called affordable art fairs around which claim that £40-4000 is affordable art. In my experience £4000 can hardly claim to be affordable and if that were the case 99% of the works in my site simonsgallery.com fall into this category. I realise that you shouldn't measure the value of art through it's price but I do think it's a little deceptive to call art priced in the 1000's affordable.

In case you don't have £4000 lying around for your "unaffordable art", the affordable art section on my website has over 200 works priced between £25-150. Just to let you into a secret, when you buy a piece of art from a gallery, nearly 50% of the price is made up with gallery commissions this is why I'm able to sell my work through my website at such reasonable prices, no gallery commissions, just art direct from the artist.

simonsgallery.com

Spring Blossom

The first warm days of spring have brought the blossom out here at simonsgallery.com Mixing the splash art style in a more controlled manner with the floral theme these blossom paintings just seem to work.

The inspiration came while cycling through the Great Park in Windsor one morning as the first flush of spring blossom lit up the hedgerows. I wasn't sure I'd be able reproduce the essence of what I saw, but I'm very pleased with the way these work, a great blend of style and theme and very satisfying for an artist.

I'm looking forward to experimenting with different colours and these paintings just seem to work perfectly reflecting the colours of the season against clear blue skies. They certainly are a great focal point for any modern interior design.

simonsgallery.com - art direct from the artist

Unique Art for you

Creating unique art from your images.

Commissioned for a client in Hong Kong who sent me an image from their vacation in Vancouver Canada, ( right) As I began to construct this piece I realised how challenging it would be. Getting the tones correct and working in such detail especially reaching into the middle of a large painting wasn't easy but the result was certainly worth it. I think I captured it well and as a result created a very powerful piece with a huge wow factor.

I'm always happy to create art to suit your needs, if you have an idea or some images you want me to work from, I'll help you to personalise your art and create something special and unique for you.

simonsgallery.com

art direct from the artist

Getting Framed

By way of adding further value to my art I've begun to add some simple frames to my paintings. I have always finished off my pieces around the sides ensuring that all of my work is ready to hang, and this is an additional enhancement to that process.

I often look at other artists work and find myself disappointed with the lack of finishing that goes on. Often their work is not finished around the sides, is unvarnished and just has a look of carelessness. It's almost as if they are trying to do the least amount of work for the most amount of money!

I have always felt that if someone is going to spend their hard earned money on my art, the least I can do is make sure it is ready to hang straight from the box. I spend a lot of time making sure my work is finished to the highest standards and framing some of my paintngs is just a way of furthering this process without adding any additional cost to my clients.

 

simonsgallery.com

real art direct from the artist