Click here to read an essay on Mathew Simms, by Lucy Hawthorne from Artist Profile Magazine.
“The paintings are small – partly because he paints on a solid wood backing that he cuts himself, but also because he likes to paint them in a day. He notes, ‘Most of the work is not putting paint on. Most of it is looking. I don’t want something to look slick.’ The wood grain, the knots, and the rough surface are allowed to shine. The significance of scale is reflected in the title of his exhibition: ‘The Little World of Mathew Simms’. ‘Not small’, he emphasises, as in ‘small-minded’. He seems anxious to avoid being categorised, saying as I leave, ‘This isn’t about a person living in a tent. And this isn’t about a person who owns sheep. It’s about living free. Being true is being free’.”
The Little World Of Mathew Simms – Solo exhibition 5 – 29 May 2020