About
Simon Poulter trained at the Norwich School of Art and Central St Martins, London. He has had a fascination with colour throughout his working life as an artist. More recently, he has investigated the history of colour and its association with Turner. The recent paintings explore contemporary subjects and issues but often use the same palette and pigments that would have been used in the 19th century, or their equivalents.
The paintings almost always explore the wash techniques developed by Turner, where successive tonal applications are made to the paper surface, some wet and others as dry glazes. The works often use Fabriano Artistico, an original Italian made paper that has utilised the same production methods since 1264.
Two bodies of work have been developed since 2022. The first, inspired by the Royal Pavilion Brighton, is a series of colour field paintings observing the internal decor of the pavilion. The second, is a rendering of all 59 of Britain’s remaining butterflies in watercolour.
Simon would like to acknowledge the help of colour historian, Alexandra Loske and CEO of Brighton & Hove Museums, Hedley Swain, in exploring the colour of the Royal Pavilion Brighton.
Simon in his studio