Statement

Simon Whitcomb’s paintings are his emotional response to the subject informed by memory and cultural influence.
Simon’s work contains effervescent intense colour and shows a great love of the process of painting.
He has three distinct styles ( Colourist, Textured & Southsea Rock ) and chooses a style and approach that best represents his impression of the subject.

After spending time exploring the space and recording through drawing, note taking and photography, the process continues in the studio pouring all this into the image.

Although his paintings are a personal response, they have embedded semiotic meaning for the viewer to share. This is most apparent in Simon’s Southsea Rock series which explore seaside culture and childhood memory. Colourful stripes like those found in deck chairs, beach kiosks and sticks of seaside rock are referenced in this work.
One subject Simon is drawn to again and again is the seaside pier with the elegant structure above and the corroded ironwork revealed below at low tide.

Another characteristic found in some of his work is the unsettling sense of isolation and beauty found around the coastline.
But after all this the overriding sense of Simon’s work is one of enjoyment found in painting and the coastline.