Henrik Simonsen

Henrik's Thoughts

‘The predominant element in my work is drawing. The attraction to drawing stems from the directness of the mark making process and the simple way lines on a surface creates shape and form.

I have worked with charcoal for several years and I have found no medium that rivals its rich organic marks and it’s movements on the canvas. The property of oil paint makes an important addition to the surface quality of the work.

My Scandinavian background has significantly influenced my work 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 infinite.

I often look at botanical books, dating from the fifteen to the twenty-century. I am interested in their mixture of observation and decoration, science and art.

The 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 often are depicted in traditional flower paintings. They have an unspoiled quality about them.’

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