Simon Henwood @ Envoy Gallery
Saturday, December 2nd, 2006
SIMON HENWOOD
“CRICKLEWOOD” new paintings
8 DECEMBER - 13 JANUARY 2007
opening in the presence of the artist 14 DECEMBER 6-8pm
Tuesday thru Saturday from 11-6pm
envoy . 535 West 22nd Street . 6th Floor . New York . NY 10011
Curious, experimental, and clear-eyed, Simon Henwood is a master of many media.
Since he left Exeter College in 1986 with a degree in mixed arts, painting,
animation and illustration, he’s had numerous solo and group exhibitions around
the world and made various exclusive video projects for artists such as Roisin
Murphy, Devendra Banhart, Imogen Heap and The Delays.
Since everything in his art, at some point requires drawing and the ability to
conceive on paper, painting has always been at the center of his career.
Throughout his work, Henwood has made his superb draftsmanship apparent in
producing memorable portraits and observations by engaging directly with his
subjects. He uses gouache and most recently oil paint, to capture the people
from his surroundings with extreme detail and definition.
A recurrent theme in Henwood’s paintings and mixed-media works has been the
exploration of the complex social and cultural terrain of childhood and
adolescence. Recently however, the work has been heading in another direction.
Narrative themes are characterized by a frank, mundane realism derived from Pop
art and photography. It is done with such artistic depth that it provides his
work with a naturalistic dimension. Moving from a semi-expressionist form of
pop art, he developed a highly personal realistic style, producing images
saturated with color in which longing, emptiness and solitude all hang in the
air. His meticulously executed realist paintings, imbued with a pervasive mood
of alienation, are noble, lyrical, loving and also capture something
fundamental, a diaristic directness. They bring about a sense of life and
energy yet still capture that feeling of abandonment and solitude hiding deep
within his subjects.
As a director Henwood sees live action and animation as two sides to the same
thing, inextricably and increasingly linked by the growing demand for
postproduction techniques that cross the boundaries. He enjoys the cooperative
facet of directing and the rewards of seeing an idea come to life, be it
meticulously animated or carefully crafted moving images such as the ones in
“Poor Johnny Pumpkin.” This fascinating project was toured to museums by the
Museum of Modern Art, New York and tells the story of a pumpkin-headed boy
whose extreme sensitivity to UV light forces him to remain indoors during the
daytime. The work has now been developed into a groundbreaking 3-D
computer-animated TV series.
In addition to all of this, Henwood has created artwork for Roisin Murphy’s
latest album and his paintings have been adapted for use in a line of designer
T-shirts. Henwood has also designed a plushy toy named ‘Klong.’ an endearing
creature with long arms. Klong can’t see or hear, yet he senses your kindness
and actually hugs you back.
As a painter, illustrator, animator, writer, art director, publisher and
filmmaker, Simon Henwood embraces all aspects of his art, infusing each project
with originality and integrity.
Henwood’s most recent work will be featured exclusive at envoy from 8 December
2006 thru 13 January 2007.
envoy
535 West 22nd Street, 6th Fl.
New York, NY 10011
p. 212.242.7524
e. office@envoygallery.com
w. www.envoygallery.com
