Society for Art of Imagination

Hollow Man

"All great art is the work of the whole living creature, body and soul, and chiefly the soul", John Ruskin says in The Stones of Venice. It is the inspiration of the artist's knowledge and emotion that breathes life into ink, paper and other media. Without it, art ceases to be anything more than pure decoration. Aesthetic, emotional or spiritual value derived from art results from self-discovery. This is the true nature of art; Rick Simpson's art embodies the essence of this philosophy.

Rick Simpson's work is characterised by innovation and experimentation, and is primarily intuitive. He "invents" and portrays imaginary objects and figures not found in reality. To determine the course of his creations, he draws from both representational and nonobjective genre, and the resulting works display contrasting images of fantasy, beauty, and sometimes disturbing darkness or humour. The individual viewer ís personal vision, imagination, emotions and experiences determine the interpretation of each image. Rick's themes involve deeply personal and current social issues, but also include invented or interpreted elements of nature in the form of imaginative plant or floral images. The viewer should consider each image in terms of its psychological scope in addition to its visual impact.

Rick has lived abroad for more than 20 years (Europe, Asia, Middle East); his exposure to numerous foreign cultures, religions and art forms has forged a very eclectic artistic perspective. His many years of travel and immersion in the world ís foremost galleries and museums have directly shaped his approach to creating art. Many of his works reflect his lengthy stay in Germany, where he studied the works of classical German Masters and contemporary European artists.

Although he received his formal training and Master of Fine Arts degree in traditional printmaking, he mixes digital and other media. Rick is based in Seattle, but is a member of several international artist groups, including The Society for Art of Imagination and The Saatchi Art Gallery, both in London, and The Malaspina Printmaking Society in Vancouver BC. As a painter, he was previously accepted into the Parsons School of Design in Paris and was recently asked to join the Agora Art Gallery and the Museum of Digital Art, both in New York City.

Rick Simpson has a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Printmaking from the University of Oregon. As a Graduate Teaching Fellow, he taught stone and plate lithography for three years. He has exhibited throughout the Northwest United States, and has participated in juried international shows in Paris, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Canada. His long-term residence in Europe, where he studied the work of both contemporary artists and Old Masters, influences much of his work

Iron Maiden

Hatchling

Legacy

Harlequin Rebirth

Wasteland