Artists Choose their Favorites: Simon Shawn Andrews

The paintings of Vancouver artist Simon Shawn Andrews are beautiful but never pretty; in his careful attentiveness to the effects of light on a flower or piece of fruit he achieves a sense of genuineness as well as of poetry. Sometimes the edges of his forms are precisely rendered, while those in shadow barely indicated, and his brushwork is sensitively descriptive without calling attention to itself. It's the sort of painting that helps us to appreciate how beautiful the ordinary stuff of life can be- in the right lighting, and when we decide to pay attention.

Simon has chosen two paintings from 2013 to share with us:

Glass Pitcher and Apple  6"x6"  oil on mylar on panel  2013

I painted this one beside a window and I remember having to put up some frosted mylar over it to keep the reflection on the glass pitcher cooler-the trees and grass outside were reflecting on the glass so strongly it was making the reflection very yellow which didn't play well with my palette.  As much as the pitcher works in this one, I think its the apple that is the star again, sort of quietly dominating the composition, probably because it is very dimensional.  I think at this point I was getting better at translating daylight into paint and getting solidity into things.  I think I painted this with all flat brushes and aimed for a crisp intentional look to all the brushwork.

Iris 6"x8" oil on linen panel  2013

This was one of my more successful flower paintings I think, partly because I simplified much of the values and painted the iris with very few strokes, but accurately and with thicker paint. The glass was also simplified more than usual and it doesn't distract too much. Usually I make glass the star in my paintings but I felt it was better to let the flower be emphasized. 

Since this is the first time I've featured Simon's paintings in The Art Room, and because I'm such a fan of his work, I've decided to include several more of his paintings from last year:

Table with Pitcher  oil  8"x8" 2013

 Still Life with Hydrangeas oil  12"x 9"  2013

 Mango  oil  5"x 7"  2013

Rose in a Vase  oil  6"x6" 2013

Magnolia Flower in a Glass  oil on linen panel  6"x6"  2013

You can see more of Simon Shawn Andrew's work at his blog and his website. 

The current theme is Artists Who Blog- Favorites of 2013.  Chosen artists have sent in one or two of their favorite paintings from 2013, along with some words about the creation of the work, or about general new directions and goals. There will be a fresh post each day for twenty five days, so check back often.