Henrick Simonsen |
The predominant element in my work is drawing. My attraction to drawing stems from the directness of the mark making process and the simple way in which lines on a surface create shape and form. I have worked with charcoal for several years and I have found no medium that rivals its rich organic marks, or it’s movement on the canvas.
The property of oil paint makes an important addition to the surface quality of the work.
My Scandinavian background has a significant influence on the work I create, 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 infinitely. For recent work, I have been studying botanical books from the fifteenth to the twentieth century. I am intrigued by their blend of observation and art.
My 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 are often depicted in traditional flower paintings. They have an unspoiled quality about them, which I appreciate.