Simon Claridge

One of my earliest and fondest memories of junior school was running from assembly to be the first in the line before double art on a Tuesday morning, as I could not wait to continue working on what I had done the previous week. This early obsession continued throughout my education, and whenever asked what I wanted to do when I grew up the answer was always 'to be an artist!' I was extremely lucky to have a fantastic art department at college where I really found my strengths in draftsmanship, particularly in life class.

I want the work to have an initial raw impact which given time perhaps will inspire memories and fantasies which can become intertwined. It's this line between fantasy and reality which I believe we all walk on from time to time that interests me. My goal is to leave to the viewer some tangible emotional feeling. If the flat areas...  more... of colour I create on the canvas surface can be given depth in the imagination of the viewer then I feel it's been successful.

　This is the most challenging but exciting part of the process for me, as the final composition reveals it's self through the pencil marks. This basic composition is then transferred on to the canvas where invariably more changes are made. Before finally covering the canvas as quickly as possible with acrylic paint to ascertain the colours and tones I want. Once happy with these then the painstaking layers of paint are applied, the processes of building up the layers to achieve the completely flat finish is one that takes great patience, however ultimately brings the most satisfaction as the work starts takes on a life of its own. As I create the sharp lines on the canvas surface it starts to blur the lines between reality and fantasy.

A Day in the Life of...

The only problem with doing something you love for a living is knowing when to take a break. I start as early as possible in the morning stopping only for caffeine and Coco, my pug dog. I have no set routine and let the work determine the day. I will stay in the studio as long as I can, wishing there were more hours. However when I feel I'm no longer getting anywhere then a well deserved beer and a few hours with Ruth are all that I need to recharge and look forward to another day.