Painting

Over the years Simon has explored mark making with a wide array of media. At the age of fourteen he had a small printing business, using an antique letterpress printing machine operated by hand and foot. Today, still in love with repetitive mark making, he continues to investigate new ways to make marks. This exploration led him to widen the range of of media he employs. Expressive painting seemed an obvious choice to him and the challenge of developing new skills and techniques was one he has applied himself to with enthusiasm and it has to be said, success.

"I assumed that everything would lead to complete failure, but I decided that didn't matter – that would be my life." Jasper Johns

As a glass maker Simon must accurately execute and practice his skills repeatedly but with painting he expresses himself in a very different way. "It’s not easy, the heart you wear on you sleeve is open to inspection and critique.”

Simon has developed his technique over 50 years but now, in this new medium, each brush stroke must be equally as valid and proficient as the techniques he employs in glass making. He returns to each canvas over and over again, layering the paint and then sanding it off or paring it back, to refine the finished piece. The paint surface, overlayed numerous times, creates a visual depth in much the same way as his glass pieces. The major difference between the two mediums being the temporal element. Where the glass must be completed in minutes the paintings can take hours, days or weeks. A significantly different process which, however, produces paintings that have a symbiotic and coherent relationship with his glass.

PAINTING

Divisions

Balance

Yellow Quadrant

Interception

Ruby Segments

Guaged Gold

Puzzle One

Burnt Silver (1of 2)