Simon B. Hodges PS, n.

I was born in Mitcham in Surrey and have loved sketching and painting for as long as I can remember. When I was very young I was featured several times in local newspapers sketching at public events and held impromptu sketching classes for friends. Although I considered art schools, I followed my father into the building industry and went to The Welsh School of Architecture in Cardiff. Once qualified as an architect, I worked in London, Bath, Frome, Oxford and Yeovil as both a job architect, associate, Partner and Director. Most of my architectural work was for schools and hospitals but also included small house extensions (including Hillview Studio,) offices, hotels, libraries and a mosque.

I have never liked the word ‘job’ and the thought of ‘retirement’ is not in my vocabulary. A vocation on the other hand, a calling to something one loves doing, has always been more appealing.

I loved architecture most of the time. However, by 1999 the pencil and drawing was becoming much less relevant in my life than was CAD (computer aided design,) management and committees. The result was unnecessary stress as far as I was concerned. So with encouraging comments from my wife and knowledgeable friends in the art world, and with a few false starts, I began a new vocation as a landscape painter.

Apart from the early influences of an enthusiastic art teacher at Wimbledon College and some technical seminars during my architectural course, my own technique is entirely self-taught, constantly visiting art galleries, reading about my ‘artistic heroes’ and by embracing ‘trial and error.’ The art work of Roger Dean on album covers was an early inspiration as was the work of J.M.W. Turner which continues to this day. The watercolourists of the 18th & 19th centuries have also been a lasting influence along with The Impressionists. Whilst this covers a wide range of artistic endeavour, my preoccupation lies in the ‘impressionist’ sketch directly from nature (en-plein air) to the ‘impressionist’ studio sketch working up an idea and/or composition to finally the finished work, be it impressionist or not. The finished work can often be no more than ‘the studio study’ but in the end I must be happy that the finished painting reflects the essence of a particular place and time that excited me when I first experienced it. This process of learning is nothing new but simply a reflection of how so many artists learned their craft. I hope I will continue to evolve with the constant aim of capturing a moment in time and place.

Finding my own ‘voice’ is an on-going journey which will only end when I eventually run out of steam.

Work is always dictated by time, practicalities and mood and therefore my way of working varies. It will usually involve taking memories and sketches (drawings, paintings, photographs) back to the studio but occasionally a piece of work is completed ‘en-plein air.’ I have no problem with the use of photography as a method of recording information but I do so because time is often too short to do otherwise. The sketchbooks show work done out on the road and in the studio.

Work is always dictated by time, practicalities and mood and therefore my way of working varies.

Currently I work in pencil, charcoal, pastel (in its many forms), watercolour, acrylic and oil but I also use a mixture of mediums. The City of Bath and Larkhall on my doorstep, are a constant inspiration given the quality of architecture and the light that plays on it but travel, changing seasons and variable weather all give me many sources of material. Thankfully, the main difficulty is choosing what to paint in the limited time available but I also take the time to give different interpretations to some of my favourite subjects.

Since 2017, I have been a member of The Pastel Society and I am currently vice-president.

Simon

I am always happy to talk to people interested in seeing how other artists’ work but I always emphasise that I do not regard myself as a professional teacher as, selfishly, I just want to paint. However, I am genuinely happy to discuss my approach to painting; to show work at various stages of completion and to simply be open to anyone interested in the painting and how I may be able to help them.

I strongly believe that the most satisfying aspect to art is not the finished painting or even the final sale but the process itself where I lose myself ‘in a zone free of outside worries.’ It keeps me sane although I accept that a satisfactory finished result and work ‘breaks’ in my garden also help. Always believing that the next painting will be even better is also very important. Anxiety and depression is something I live with all the time, but work is a distraction that helps to keep me in a happier place.

Happiness comes from liking what you do; not doing what you like.

Heraclitus

As for showing my work, I have made it a rule to never make overtures to any gallery but let them approach me if they see something that they like. I know, from first hand experience, that they have many artists approaching them all the time. Early on, I organised my own exhibitions and currently open my studio once a year. I also spend some time submitting work to national exhibitions to reach a wider audience whilst enjoying the on going work with private galleries that invite me to exhibit. To my knowledge, paintings have gone to small private collections in Australia, USA, Europe, Asia and South Africa. Details of the societies & galleries I work with are given elsewhere and for more details about my background up until now, go to my curriculum vitae.

I am one of a group of artists in Larkhall who open up their studio annually during The Larkhall Festival held over the first May Bank Holiday each year. I also open my garden on a garden trail.

I am always happy to answer genuine emails. If you would like to know more or would like to visit my studio at anytime by appointment, just drop me a line to simon@hillviewstudio.co.uk.

All the best,

Simon.