Artist Bio

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Simon was born in 1972 and raised in the Okanagan valley. His mother kept a small library of art books of renaissance masters which he would read often and had a profound influence on him later in life.  Family trips to the west coast would have a lifelong impact on Simon and supply inspiration for much of his painting later in life.  His father ran a small struggling pottery business in the BC interior. Simon would often spend time after school helping the family in the studio, filling clay molds and stacking vases into the kiln. Eventually bad business decisions and slow sales forced the business into bankruptcy.  This event led his parents to dissuade Simon from any art-making  ambitions; he was expected to find a ‘real’ career and get a proper college education after high school. But he was a willful child and only interested in art, which sorely disappointed his parents, so at the age of 18 they forced him into seminary school, then into a science program at the local college, neither of which he was interested in and he promptly dropped out of both.  

 

Purely by chance in college Simon fell in with a group of friends who were making computer games and who wanted him to help them make 3d art for it.  This attracted the attention of local entrepreneurs who hired Simon and his friends and launched his first career in 1996. He had a very successful career and worked for numerous studios across Canada.  He eventually moved to Vancouver with his wife, working for a large game company in 2002. During these years he became interested in traditional art creation, so he began to learn to draw in the evenings after work, using art books as a guide. He took a demotion at work from director to conceptual artist so he could start creating with his hands. 

 

In 2007 he began oil painting out of curiosity. Soon it became all engrossing, so Simon quit his job to paint full time, foregoing academic training in favor of studying impressionist, naturalist, and renaissance art. He soon discovered he could sell art on the internet which led to discovery by small local galleries which would exhibit group shows. 

 

Simon has exhibited in Vancouver and Surrey, mostly at the Federation Gallery and has received some awards for his figure and still life paintings.  He has sold work to private collectors throughout Canada, USA and Europe.  He also has sold work online internationally.  In 2012 he relocated to White Rock, BC where he continues to work.

 

Artist Statement

 

“Nature inspires me to express my personal ideas of form, light, and complexity through the medium of oil paint. I prefer to paint the things I spend a lot of time around and to which I have some connection.  I paint with much energy and love for the oil medium, light, and above all, for the feelings that I have for nature.

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