Simon grew up in Johannesburg and studied economics in Cape Town and the UK.  While he now works full-time in that field, art has always been a parallel pursuit -- a steady, instinctive part of how he makes sense of things.

 

His practice is rooted in colour, composition and texture.  He works mainly with acrylic on canvas and board, but also experiments with mixed media collage, ink drawing, and the occasional mobile installation.

 

Simon’s process is guided less by ideas of a fixed outcome than by a clear confidence of what doesn’t work.  He builds his pieces through instinct and adjustment -- shifting, layering, and refining until the right balance emerges.  It’s a process shaped as much by subtraction as by addition, and is often led by small, unexpected turns.

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As a consequence of this, much of Simon's work takes shape as a kind of visual stream of consciousness. However, over time, certain forms recur: grids and outlines that hint at maps and aerial views.  These patterns aren’t deliberate, but they reflect a lasting interest in place -- especially the layered, lived-in landscapes of Johannesburg, where he lives and works.  His use of shape, proportion, and symbolic design is also grounded in a quiet pull towards vexillology (the study of flags) and the way simple arrangements of shape and colour can carry meaning tied to identity, geography, and memory.

 

Simon's work has been exhibited in Johannesburg and Cape Town, and appears in private collections in South Africa and abroad.