Simon established his studio and ceramics gallery producing contemporary terracotta garden ware situated in the centre of the beautiful Welsh border town of Hay-on-Wye . The gallery has been committed to promoting and supporting British Applied Arts with a focus on pottery since 1995.
Simon’s new porcelain collection are a series he made based on his experience while on a recent residency in Jingdezhen, China and the series mixes modernity with the millennia-old heritage of Chinese porcelain. The work features hand painted brush strokes that capture the energy and artistry of traditional Chinese calligraphy. The red images are an abstracted calligraphic image of the Chinese character for ‘double happiness’ and the brush work is in five tones of cobalt, inspired by landscape wash painting observed in museums in China. His collaborative Chinese colleague was an artist called Huang Fei.
Each piece is carefully made and exudes the aesthetic uniqueness of porcelain, namely its fine strength that combines levity and toughness. The pieces have smooth minimal contours, a soft overall finish and a subtle understated sense of being well crafted.
