* All images used with permission. Please do not distribute without first contacting the artist.
Simon Hennessey is a Birmingham, UK based artist who earned a B.A. in Fine Art from Solihull college in Solihull. His paintings are perceived as a reflection of reality but in truth the artwork transcends into its own abstraction of reality. Through using the camera as a visual source for painting, he is able to create false illusions that are judged as our own reality.
Simon explains his work by saying, “My paintings may be viewed as a photographic representation of reality, but in truth my artwork transcends into it’s own abstraction of reality. I do not adhere to a true mimetic depiction of a photograph, I use the camera only as a source to assist me with gathering information. My process of adding or removing detail, altering depth, adding textures, form and colour values and their relationship within the painting, allows me to create an illusion of a reality not seen in any photographic source. My Paintings therefore appear clearer and more distinct than a photograph. constructing my own interpretations of a reality results in blurring the boundaries of what is real and what is made up. Presenting the viewer with a simulation of reality, or a hyper reality.”
