Congratulations to Simon Harris who placed as a finalist in the 5th Edition!

Who are you?  

I’ve been a creative person my whole life and my career has seen many iterations of that creativity. I started training as an architect before moving to art school and studying graphics. In my career, I’ve been a copywriter, graphic designer, storyboard artist, illustrator and illustration lecturer. But through it all, I was always drawing and painting. It was mostly the human figure and portraits – sometimes from life models, but sometimes more abstracted expressions of the human condition. When this love of the human form collided with my fascination for the artists and craftsmen from the stone age I  started on my current path – to express primaeval human experience through the majesty of rock! 

Can you discuss the inspiration and thought process behind your winning work "Corporal George"? 

The Corporal George drawing was triggered when I came across a  photograph of my grandfather, George Holdsworth, in his Royal Flying Corp uniform from 1917. The youthful vigour of this man who I would come to know decades later in his final days gave me an added insight into his personality.  There was a strength and attitude that enhanced my experience of him as a  feisty but frail old man. It occurred to me that I could render him as rock to show his resilience and strength but also use cracks and weather-worn features to show his vulnerable side from a life hard-lived. I had drawn figures before using rock forms, but this was the first time that I’d attempted to draw a  particular person using abstracted rock forms. 

What drew you to portray still life in a human way? 

It started with a deep fascination for our stone-age ancestors and their use of stone for tools and cave walls for drawing onto. Those people were the first artists and even the very earliest examples, such as the drawings in Chauvet  Cave from over 30,000 years ago, show a keen sense of observation and an aesthetic that has barely been surpassed even today. I try to imagine the awe and trepidation of those first artists as they made their way deep into cave systems, barefoot with just a flaming torch for illumination, and animal fat mixed with minerals as well as charcoal, to draw freehand onto the rock walls.  And these weren’t just doodles, there are some incredibly accurate drawings of animals – some, like the lions of Chauvet Cave, would have required considerable courage to get close enough to observe. We don’t know why they were created, but there was probably some deep ritual significance. At the same time, the first ‘Venus’ carvings were being created, mostly from rock, and again, we can only guess the significance of these hand-sized totems. Then much more recently, a mere 4,500 years ago, Neolithic structures like Stonehenge draw on the raw power of rough-hewn rocks. 

Throughout history, rock has never been far from human ritual and awe. Rock has a majesty that fits perfectly with human aspiration and spirituality, and I  guess that’s why I’m drawn to render rocks in a way that suggests human form. 

What do you hope to communicate with your work? 

My drawings are an amalgam of my love of the human form, my respect for those first artists, and my awe for the monoliths of the stone age. I find that using  rock to express human form gives a pure expression of humanity – there’s no sexism or racism or ageism, just the pure expression of the human condition.  Rock lends a nobility and intensity to the forms – it’s graceful, primitive and powerful. And I like the link to our primaeval past. 

Do you have a particular piece that you view as your most accomplished? Why? 

My raw stone interpretation of the Venus de Milo, Primal Venus, was my most technically and aesthetically challenging drawing to produce. I don’t normally work from photographs – I work from my head or from sketches and so usually the figures can take any form that they suggest to me, and as I’m drawing, the shape that evolves on the page often directs the actual pose. So it’s normally a very organic process to arrive at the final image. But with  Primal Venus I had to be faithful to the original sculpture without becoming too literal and copying it too closely. I had photographic references in front of me the whole time, which is not how I like to work. My twin aims were to capture the finely balanced pose of the original and to do it using raw rock forms that suggested unworked stone. The drawing took 3 or 4 times longer than usual. 

Can you discuss why you chose drawing as a medium for your work and voice as opposed to others? 

I love the precision of graphite and the incredible detail that can be achieved as well as the rich tonal range that is possible. I discovered that the more detail I put into the rocks, the more convincing and engaging they became. I  have painted some large scale rock figures using acrylics and textured medium… the result was interesting but not as compelling as the highly detailed graphite illustrations.  

Have you experimented with other mediums? If so, which ones and how? 

I’ve experimented with most of the mainstream media and I’ve found that each one suggests a different approach and subject matter. I enjoy oil paint for portraits, it’s so subtle and almost meditative in the way I can build up the colours and tones. I’ve used coloured inks with brush & pen for landscapes and life drawing - I love the immediacy and intensity of strong colour thrown down with a dramatic brush stroke, it’s so appropriate for an organic scene or pose. I’ve used oil pastels, oil sticks and collage for abstract sketches, but I’ve never managed a large abstract painting that I was happy with. Most of my work is derived from the human form, so one year I chose to draw/paint only abstract images… it was a valuable experience, but of course, they always seemed to gravitate towards human colours and shapes. I also did some serious photography when I was at college, mostly black & white, people and buildings, and I got quite good at producing ‘nice’ photographs, but nothing extraordinary. 

Can you talk about your biggest learning experience during the process of creating your works?  

There are two really simple but incredibly useful things that I’ve stumbled upon in my working process. The first is the importance of knowing the surface that I’m working on, in my case the paper. Two papers that look and feel the same may take the graphite or colour in completely different ways,  which is crucial when you’re applying details that are fractions of a millimetre.  I experimented a lot with different papers and found one that I can trust and predict. If I had to use a different paper it’d be a learning process all over again. The other thing… I work with a mirror on the wall behind me, so I just turn around to see the work from a distance, and, I see it in reverse which helps me to see it afresh and to pinpoint the bits that are not working. It’s brilliant. 

Can you discuss your biggest success since starting your artistic journey?

It’s difficult to say when my artistic journey actually began, but it was many decades ago. I think my biggest success has been the pivot from commercial illustrator to fine artist just 6 months ago and having people so moved by my work that they want to buy it and put it on their walls. It’s a validation that says  ‘keep going… and give up your day job’. 

What projects are you working on currently? Can you discuss them?  

I am currently working on rock figures in a landscape… in colour. I’m doing endless tests because I want to get the same degree of detail as in my graphite drawings. So I’m perfecting a multi-media approach using coloured inks, chalk pastels and graphite. All I have to show for it right now is a tiny rough from my sketchbook. Another new direction that I’ve barely started on is working with actual rock. I don’t know if this will end up as sculpture or photographic work. I still have a long way to go, but it’s exciting to be using the same tactile medium as my stone age heroes. 

Lastly, I like to ask everyone what advice they would give to their fellow artists/photographers, what is your advice?  

It’s something that’s so fundamental to how I work that I have it written on the top of my easel – TRUST THE PROCESS! In other words, don’t panic when the work is not going how you want it to, be patient and keep working through the doubt and despair. Many accomplished artists talk about the journey through an artwork, from the high of the initial idea to the low of not being able to express it, then through to the triumph of a finalised piece. And they do it with perseverance and trust in their process.

One other thing - don’t be afraid to do something radical to/with your work.  Australian artist Donald Friend spoke about transforming a listless painting with ‘a few angry dabs’.

To view more of Simon Harris’ work

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