Each of my paintings has a short story woven into the fabric, often deep beneath the surface. Sometimes I know that story before I start work, but sometimes I only understand it when the painting is well underway.
All my paintings are built on simple, abstract ideas which are used to create designs that consider the picture as a unified whole. I frequently modify reality or allow it to break down into abstraction in places.
I prefer to paint without sentimentality but even so, the act of painting always causes an emotional response which finds its way into my work.
Simon Bland
Updated November 2022
If you want to read more about writing an artist's statement, please browse through the notes about my own statement and this blog post.