JOHN F. SIMON Innerhole Series of Wall Constructions
The Innerhole series of mixed media constructions lives somewhere between painting and wall sculpture; both tactile and dimensional. While largely in a flat picture plane, the diverse materials and color adjacencies of these pieces provide a broad visual experience while evoking illusory spatial depth.
John F. Simon, Jr. HeadWater, 2009 Trupan Ultralight, Plastic laminate, Flashe paint 45 x 51.5 x .75” Click here to view artwork
These large abstract works, strongly referencing nature, the earth, landscape, astral planes, and dimensional space emerge from Simon’s daily practice of mediation and drawing. The source drawings arise from introspection while clearing away daily noise from his head, his immediate environment, and the surrounding material world. The drawings are improvisational and automatic; after the first mark is spontaneously made, the rest of the drawing flows organically and completes itself. Considering the image in relation to his ever-accumulating series of daily drawings, Simon searches for meaningful archetypes that reveal themselves through persistent patterns, shapes, and motifs.
John F. Simon, Jr. RiverCycle, 2010 Trupan Ultralight, Plastic laminate, Flashe paint 45.5 x 44 x .75” Click here to view artwork
The imagery and compositions for the Innerhole series was selected from the daily drawings where "cycle symbols" appeared consistently. Cycle symbols resemble polygonal shapes in motion about a center. The interior of the ring is empty, forming the inner hole, also because the circle is complete, an "inner whole". As for imagery, the warm feeling of the land, flowing water, and lush vegetation in earth colors is inescapable. The inner hole and strong flowing shapes evoke a swirling motion that makes the gestures grand and dynamic, commanding a sense of water, wind and vast journeys on one hand, with strongly contrasting visions of the cool, geometric and constellation-like structures of the more expansive galaxy on the other hand.
John F. Simon, Jr. OnePoint, 2010 Trupan Ultralight, Plastic laminate, Flashe paint 46 x 60 x .75” Click here to view artwork
John F. Simon, Jr. FlowerHead, 2010 Trupan Ultralight, Plastic laminate, Flashe paint 43 x 45.5 x .5” Click here to view artwork
Thus, in a discrete series of multifaceted constructions, Simon creates a continuum of an artist, on earth and situated in the expanding universe. There is a Zen aspect to Simon’s approach as he uses his intuition and complex mind to create the images, yet they come out of his mind-clearing meditative practice that opens his imagination and receptivity to new possibilities. He becomes one with the earth and the universe and his resulting artworks open our eyes and imaginations to new possibilities.
John F. Simon, Jr. Grids, 2010 Trupan Ultralight, Plastic laminate, Flashe paint 43 x 45.5 x .75” Click here to view artwork
John F. Simon, Bio:
John F. Simon Jr, a New York-based artist who uses programming and digital language as his primary visual medium. He combines his digital explorations of color and pattern with diverse laser cut, engraved and inlayed materials, assemblages, paint and graphite to create complete environments and visualizations of meditative explorations. Simon also explores the web as an important tool for creativity and communication. He has been creating a new drawing everyday and posting them on iclock.com since 2008.
Simon earned his MFA in computer art from the School of visual arts in New York, an MA in Earth and Planetary Science form Washington University in St. Louis, as well as a BA in Studio Art and BS in Geology, both from Brown University in Providence, RI. His artworks have been exhibited internationally and he was represented by Sandra Gering in New York for much of his career, Simon has had numerous museum exhibitions at Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, The Albright Knox Art Gallery; Buffalo, NY, The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC, Digital Art Museum [DAM], Berlin, Germany, Louisiana Art and Science Museum, Baton Rouge, LA, Alexandria Museum of Art, Alexandria, LA, The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, Ridgefield, CT, University of Iowa Museum of Art, Iowa City, IA, University Art Museum, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY, an Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio, TX, Denver Art Museum; Denver, CO, among many other others.
John F. Simon, Jr. Phylogons, 2010 Trupan Ultralight, Plastic laminate, Flashe paint 47 x 66 x .75” Click here to view artwork
Artwork copyright © John F. Simon