Simon Young Fine Art
I can confidently say that I have shown an interest in painting from a young age. The family home was filled with books and many of these were on the subject of art and artists. I can remember making drawings from these books at a very young age.
The first great influence was perhaps the work of Cézanne. This was when I was at school but I also remember making lots of paintings at the time, which were Fauve in spirit - if nothing else. I still love the work of this small bunch of artists.
I suppose that one of the greatest problems for any artist is to search for a 'style' of their own.
I continued to study painting and have finally realised that I probably do have a style of my own, from which I can't escape and this style has grown, at least on one level, out of the internal battle to control these influences. My paintings, as a result, become war zones where these influences fight with one and other. I have a strong sense of the importance and value of the picture surface. Paint has an innate ability to become whatever it wants. I remember reading once "We paint so that we can carry on painting". For me, this sums up what painting is about. I can quite easily become totally absorbed mixing a colour and then have no idea where I was going to place it on the picture. Most of my work is in oils, as I love the way it responds when it is pushed around the canvas. I love the smell of the paint.
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My paintings tend to be of places where I have had strong personal experiences. Usually these are related to my rock climbing activities. Once I start painting, I am only interested in the surface of the rock, what is happening within the rock. I would want to paint the climbing chalk on a handhold as though I were holding onto it.
More recently the work of Lucian Freud has become a great source of inspiration to me. I can't say that I really fully understand his work but his absolute objectivity towards every part of the picture is incredible. I love Freud's quote when talking about Watteau. 'Because I don't have his facility, I go wrong very slowly". I share this sentiment. For me, Freud's work is about the paint itself. Not so long ago, I discovered Underpainting White which has the most amazing qualities. Not so much the colour but the way it slides around on the surface, its transparency, its smoothness. Freud's obsession with Cremnitz white comes to mind.
Rocks have always been at the centre of my painting and there is always a strong emotional connection with the subject.
I often use photographs as source material but I have no interest in 'copying' photographs. I have a detailed knowledge of these places from first hand experience. It is not practical to take a six foot square canvas into the mountains, so whilst you may catch me painting outdoors from time to time, I have adhered to the old tradition, exemplified by Constable or Monet, of working on large 'Studio Paintings'. This is where I am happiest.
The pictures on this website are a mixture of these large paintings, smaller quick paintings and drawings, many of which are done outside, and some unfinished (abandoned) paintings or works where I taken photos at various points during the painting has progressed. I am often surprised when I look at an abandoned painting that I haven't seen for a few years.
I now live in North Cornwall where I divide my time between teaching, painting and being outdoors amongst the rugged landscapes the area has to offer.
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