Simon Pooley
Simon Pooley “Sometimes the impulse to paint is clearly defined and recognizable. It has form and colour, but may only be a very small thing – perhaps a relationship between two, seemingly insignificant, elements which create a certain tension by their juxtaposition. Sometimes the impulse is to make a creative response to those small internal voices which cry out for expression from time to time. Sometimes its that ‘still small voice’ that carries a yearning. Sometimes its a cry from the depths of my being that can’t be ignored because of its sheer force and authority. Even if they are barely discernable sounds they can be the impulse to making the first marks, or, frequently, the ultimate marks of a painting. Then there’s the moment in the making of a painting which is like the lifting of a mist, and everything becomes clear. The path can be seen, and although it may twist and turn, it is well defined. Here is my opportunity and I cannot afford to let this opportunity pass without discovering what the painting wants to be. It requires an intuitive response that has a particular knowing about it and generates a creative energy that is full of potential. Now my mind needs to be open and trusting enough, alive to each of these moments, one following another, continually aware, ready and willing to respond to the changes that are made by each mark, as the spaces in the picture evolve. Its like taking the picture on a walk, continually getting lost and then finding the way again. The end of the walk may not be the destination, but rather a port of call. And upon reaching it?….its time to continue walking.”
Born in Macclesfield in Cheshire in1955, Simon Pooley trained as an architect in London, qualifying in 1980. He practised in Sheffield for twelve years before moving, with his wife Hilary, to Cornwall in 1992 to paint full-time. He works from a studio near Lamorna in Penwith just 8 miles from Lands End and shows in several galleries in the UK including London and Cornwall. His work has also been exhibited overseas. He is a member of the Newlyn Society of Artists.
