Simon Fowler shares visions of his favourite walks at Artizan

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My Favourite Walks on Dartmoor: Featuring works of Simon Fowler.
Launching July 4at Artizan Gallery

Little pleasantness

It’s perhaps difficult to imagine that in the late 18th Century, the picturesque rolling hills of Dartmoor were not well thought of; the few Georgian visitors this rural area did receive passed through quickly, finding little pleasantness in its barren landscapes.

Capturing drama

It wasn’t until the mid-1800s that this perception was turned around and it was done so by the work of Victorian artists capturing these dramatic landscapes in stunning works of art. Now it is resoundingly seen as one of the South West’s finest natural beauty spots and for many Devon artists the allure of Dartmoor is still an unmissable subject for their work. One such artist is Simon Fowler who in July will present his own homage to these tors and valleys in his exhibition, “The Favourite Walks on Dartmoor”.

Family instruction

Coming from a family of artists it was at a young age that Simon discovered a passion for drawing, painting and creative endeavour. Starting with oils in his early teens under the instruction of his grandfather, a prolific and well-established Bristol artist, he benefitted from instruction from a wide array of family members, producing across ceramics, sculpture and woodcarving as well painting in a variety of mediums. Their experience and knowledge would prove to be invaluable and today Simon is endowed with a significant artistic talent of his own as a result of this early tuition.

Simon Folwer has painted continuously all his life endlessly inspired by the great outdoors where he has spent most of his adulthood. A caver for 35 years on the Mendips and a keen motorcyclist and angler has built a connection with the landscape which he now cannot help but express in his work. A further 12 years spent boat building and restoring mostly wooden boats, lead to wood carving and sculpture for a long period. For the past 25 years, after training in forestry, woodland management and horticulture, he now works as a garden designer, offering a new exploration for his creativity on a grand scale.

Abundant inspiration

Having only recently moved to Devon, Dartmoor and the surrounding landscapes have proven an abundant source of inspiration. New scenes have also led to new practice and Simon has found a transition from canvas to board, with the addition of a new range of Italian pigments to his stock of oils, has added a new vibrancy to his work allowing him to push his colour palette to new levels.

The collection of paintings in this forthcoming exhibition focuses on Simon’s desire to learn the geography and orientation of the Tors in the southern half of Dartmoor and learn how the climate varies and alters the experience on Dartmoor, sometimes in minutes, a walk in one direction in pleasant sunny conditions is not necessarily the same on the return.

Complexity of climate

‘The complexity of the climate there really does affect the senses, in that one can feel exhilarated by the wide open spaces and huge skies in one instant, to, rushing for cover, sometimes with a feeling of vulnerability and a sense of being a very small insignificant life form in a vast historically rich and diverse environment.’

It is worth mentioning that any visit to Dartmoor requires the visitor to look and look and look some more, there is much to absorb and the life force and vitality of the moors can be really felt if one takes the time to be with it.

In summary, through his paintings, Simon tries to capture his experience of being on the moors and to express some of the diversity found there in mood and colour, which will allow the viewer to see through his eyes, images that resonate with them in some way.

“For anyone who has walked and loved the moors that are on our doorstep here in South Devon, Simon’s exhibition is a must see. His accomplished, traditional style will enthral any Dartmoor enthusiast and for those who haven’t had the pleasure of exploring these vast landscapes a viewing of his work is undoubtedly the next best thing.”
Julie Brandon, Owner Artizan Gallery

“I feel I have a strong bond with the landscape we live in and I try to reflect that in my art,” says Simon, “The joy of painting is the learning and after 45 years of working in oils, it is pleasing to know that the learning never ends.”

Simon Fowler’s work is in ‘My Favourite Walks on Dartmoor’at Artizan Gallery, Torquay. The exhibition with run from 4 –18 July // Tuesday – Friday 11am -6pm. Saturday 10am – 6pm