Simon Wilde started to paint in the 1980’s in a back room of the Barbara Braathen Gallery in New York. At that time he was working for several art galleries, and as an artist’s assistant. It was an incredibly inspirational time for a young person from Colchester to be immersed in the art world. He later studied at the New York Studio School and then to Falmouth College of Art. He lived and worked in Cornwall after graduating until he moved back to East Anglia 2018.

Wilde says “There is an undefined magic in this world which is impossible to define with language and science. Somehow painting seems to be able to capture its essence. It is this feeling that I am trying to express in my work. A spiritual world that is deep within and around us all. A world that is all too easy to dismiss in our modern existence; even though it is at the core of the mystery of what we are. Giotto di Bondone said that every painting is a voyage into a sacred harbour. It is in this spirit that I hope to create a space where the viewer can touch upon the mystery and magic within themselves.”

In Wilde’s work layers of paint are built up and scratched back creating a visual archaeology of colour and form which acts as a gateway to apparition. Mystical figures and magical landscapes emerge from the paint encouraging a discourse within the viewer.

The artist has exhibited in New York, London, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Manchester, Cornwall, Devon and throughout the UK. Linda Blackstone welcomes him to her team of talented artists and will be exhibiting his work for the first time at the Spring Affordable Art Fair in Battersea Park in March 2020.