Artospective: Paintings by Michael Simms from Australia.

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An Interview with Michael Simms.

Who and where are you from?

I’m an Australian artist called Michael Simms. I was born in Adelaide in 1987 and moved to Sydney in 2011 where I am now based.

How you got into this?

I spent a lot of time drawing in the home growing up and loved art at school, but I never considered pursuing it as more than a hobby. I eventually studied psychology at university and drew in my spare time. A few years after graduating, I attended evening classes at an art school and went on to win a scholarship to study there full-time. This was the tipping point when art began to take over my life. It was like an addiction. I couldn’t get enough and have continued to dedicate my life to it since then.

When I finished at art school, I created work at home and began entering prizes. This lead to several opportunities to exhibit and commissions – and now I share a studio and gallery space alongside five other artists in North Sydney.

What is your driving force?

The desire to create art is something instinctive that I find difficult to articulate. I’m sure most artists will attest to ‘ebbs and flows’ inherent in the creative process, but the basic joy I find in the art making is the core motivator.

More specifically, the subject matter is an important driving force. I have to feel a strong connection to what I’m capturing – whether it’s the subject of a portrait, the landscape or symbolic imagery. There has to be genuine passion in order for me to feel creative energy and get into a productive flow.

I also draw inspiration from the work of other artists – painters obviously, but also filmmakers, musicians, writers and actors.

What kind of work you do and why?

I move between portraiture, landscapes and allegorical works, and am inspired by subjects on the cusp of change.

I find people and the human face infinitely fascinating, and love to experiment with colour, lighting, and subtle expressions to convey their unique temperaments. My work also investigates the evolving notion of portraiture in our culture that is increasingly proliferated with smartphone cameras. I comment on the gap between the authentic self and the ‘virtual self’, and use masks and distortions as a metaphor to explore this.

When it comes to landscapes, my goal is to create dream-like atmospheres that capture the brief moment before an environment is plunged into darkness. I’m drawn to imagery that’s dangerous and beautiful at the same time and reflects the extremes in light and darkness that exists in the world.