Dorset born Simon Stooks trained at Shelley Park School of Art in Bournemouth and graduated from Falmouth School of Art.

His evocative, semi-abstract landscapes and seascapes are built around a subtle and sensitive use of colour and his work has been exhibited widely, especially at the Mall Gallery and in Chancery Lane, London, Mayfield Gallery, Bournemouth and other galleries throughout the country including at Beside the Wave Gallery. His work has also been shown in New England.

“There is a balance, I hope, in all my work. A balance between creating work to please me and yet to remain accessible to the viewer; a balance between what I am painting and the aesthetics of the painterly effect, the actual surface quality of the paint. I enjoy the struggle that takes place against the unknown as intuition takes over when painting outside, as well as the known reflective calm of the studio.”