Simon Hamlyn - paintings

About

Simon completed the painting that has been awarded the runner up prize for the Saatchi/Sunday Telegraph Schools Competition 2013 as part of his AS Art
aged 17.
It is entitled 'The Meeting' and is a reflection of the dominance of technology in society. It depicts three A Level Art students huddled around a laptop. The painting is a self-portrait with two fellow classmates. Simon is the one in the middle. The painting is concerned with Simon's growing interest in the Art of the Enlightenment (specifically work by Joseph Wright of Derby), but using a harder light as opposed to candlelight. The painting is acrylic on canvas and measures roughly 3' x 4'.
Simon has a place on the Art Foundation Course at Kingston University with a view to a career in the field of Art.
' Karen Williams, Head of Art, Hampton School.

'Working from observations, personal circumstance and an artistic view locked onto the near future, I create figurative paintings in the hope of stimulating discussion whilst documenting our time and ultimately producing visually engaging pieces. Through the ongoing process of learning and discovery I have developed a distinct approach with the various mentors I have encountered, an understanding further shaped by some of the more powerful works through history including art from the late Lucian Freud, Édouard Manet and Egon Schiele to name but a few. Paint reveals paths, which evolve into the mood and the feel of a painting; as such I retain a faith in paint as an expressive medium and exciting craft producing more accessible art for all generations. The current burgeoning Technological Revolution likened to a new Age of Enlightenment has also inspired me to explore the nature of technology and its dialogue with mankind. The idea presented itself through the modern day interactions with technology, which I have witnessed growing up.'
' Simon Hamlyn, 2013.