John Simpson

John Simpson was born in Gloucestershire in 1975. He first studied at the University of Gloucestershire and then later at The Cambridge School of Art. Originally making an impact with illustrations for clothing brand Carhartt and collaborations with fashion designer Wale Adeyemi, Simpson had a sell out first show in 2007 and has since exhibited in London, New York and Sao Paulo, Brazil. His recent Wonderland series was commissioned to appear alongside Sir John Tenniel’s original woodblock prints and Salvador Dali’s lithographs in Lewis Carroll’s Yorkshire.

Drawing has always formed the basis of John Simpson’s work. Frequently referencing the world of folk tale and myth, Simpson explores the relationship and behavioural patterns between human and animal forms; the result being powerful, poetic imagery that sits somewhere in between childhood imagination and adult reasoning. Stylistically, Simpson refers to artists such as Goya and Munch and his ability to delicately capture the physical and psychological nature of the creatures that feature in his work can equally disturb and enchant.

Almost always working with a simple monochrome pallet, Simpson occasionally interjects a sharp red into a piece in order to draw attention to something, possibly suggesting violence, power or danger. Simpson’s preferred medium is Monotype, a process often recognised as the most direct and painterly form of printmaking. Working in this way, he believes, extends the possibilities of traditional drawing due to the sensitivity of a marks made by anything that applies pressure to the surface in which the print is made from, including hands if a direct approach is needed.