Simon Dray – Circle Foundation for the Arts

What themes does your work involve?

Although I am interested in traditional landscape painting, the majority of my work is based on advertising hoardings as seen in the urban landscape, albeit for very different reasons. The weathering, layering and graffiti applied to the hoardings, combined with the resulting contradictions of original intention, are for me, metaphors for a disturbing world of climate change, chaos and conflict caused by misinformation and alternative truths.

Describe your creative process.

In contrast to my work based on advertising hoardings, I also have a particular interest in landscape painting. In order to create the moods and atmosphere of a landscape, I prefer to use oil paint with a reduced palette, often on an unprimed stretched canvas. The paint is applied to the canvas using a variety of methods which include palette knives, brushes and cloth. Finally, a grade of abrasive paper is often used prior to a coat of varnish.

What is good art? What makes a piece of art great?

Good art is almost entirely subjective, it is related to an individual's emotional response to a piece of work. For me, the study of drawing and design as disciplines have always been crucial aspects of the process of creating a work of art.

To look in order to see, to see in order to understand.

Whatever media you choose to express your ideas, whether in performance, ceramics, digital, painting, sculpture or film, an underlying ability to draw will enhance your oeuvre and creative vision.