|
born:
1974 -Denmark
art education:
2003 2004 Sothebys Institute of Art - London
UK - (MA)
1998 June-Aug Study trip around Italy - main base in Venice
1995 - 1998 Exeter Collage of Art and Design -Exeter UK
- (BA Hons)
1996 Aug -Dec Montclaire University - New York USA
1994 - 1995 Krabbesholm Skive - Denmark
images©henrik simonsen 2006
|
The predominant element in my work is drawing. My
attraction to drawing stems from the directness of the mark making
process and the simple way in which lines on a surface create
shape and form. I have worked with charcoal for several years
and I have found no medium that rivals its rich organic marks,
or its movement on the canvas.
The property of oil paint makes an important addition to the surface
quality of the work.
My Scandinavian background has a significant influence
on the work I create, and is evident in the economy of colour,
line and use of space and light. The Scandinavian influence is
also felt in the dominance of nature as subject matter.
There is a lesson to learn from how nature is able to vary simple forms infinitely. For recent work, I have been studying botanical books from the fifteenth to the twentieth century. I am intrigued by their blend of observation and art.
My work is engaging with a western tradition of
flower paintings and still-life, but approaching it in a contemporary
way. I find myself much more drawn to common field plants and
flowers than to the cultivated flowers that are often depicted
in traditional flower paintings. They have an unspoiled quality
about them, which I appreciate.
|