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What an unusual three months. I've not been in the painting studio but have been putting my creativity to use elsewhere. It won't be too long until I open the studio again, though it will likely feel quite different.
I've moved back to making some sound recordings, where in the past this has been a bit of a sound based sketchbook alongside projects; during the COVID-19 pandemic I made some that have a very different slant to share psychological methods that can be useful for managing stress. You can access them here: https://soundcloud.com/user-123906279 The tour of libraries I was planning to continue with 'The Orange Tree', clearly isn't happening; however the month of November with Chapter Two looks to go ahead in West London. Please email lee @lasimmons.com if you would like information and an invite. Along with everyone else, I'm not sure what that will look like yet, it is likely that two or three people at a time will be able to visit. ---- update Oct 2020, we decided to either postpone or cancel as access is still very limited and limiting --- March.
Generally not a month I'm on friendly terms with. So much changed in the last week with this virus... Below is a collaborative document that it might be useful for you to take a look at. If you have something that would be helpful to add, that is possible. coronavirustechhandbook.com One day at a time. x Recently I decided to make my studio based paintings, photographs, prints and books available to buy online. It's interesting listing output and remnants from my art practice as 'products'! I'm considering it as a project in it's own right and feel pleasantly curious about where it might end up and what I will learn along the way.
We started by listing a handful of resolved paintings but I'm thinking to branch out as I learn the ropes. I've committed to a year developing and testing this out. It will be a little while until the site represents the range of pieces that exist in my studio and are possible to own / ship, but we have started: simmons.shop ! It is also possible to send funds here: paypal.me/leeasimmons for artworks and events that are not on the shop site. Please email lee@lasimmons.com with / for info. (Thanks Getshop.today : a friendly and enthusiastic startup in Whitechapel, London My paintings and artists books are in Putney Library, London, from 27th July to 31st August 2019
Statement
My art practice is based in painting, both studio based with archival properties and temporary in the great outdoors recorded photographically. The paintings, installations and artists books that I make are generated from life experience and particular locations, forming an external narrative that supports further research and works. Curiosity regarding how we interact with each other and the world, with an emphasis on double edges (violence, peace, greed, oneness) underpins my practice and has led to studies in trauma therapy, eco design, martial arts and rock climbing. These in turn fuel time spent in diverse urban and rural environments, which further inform my line of enquiry. During the making process I explore memory formation, using act of painting to embed felt and transient experiences, whilst experimenting with how concepts and observations can be conveyed. I attempt to portray environmental and psychological phenomenon in my artwork, such as a hurricane forming from the ocean edge, brocken spectre on a mountaintop, a fleeting sense of oneness in the city, acceptance stirred by the desert sky or a city park at dusk. Recalling the feeling of the elements when painting landscapes, to help capture and communicate something of the essence of these moments, can be replenishing and a form of action research. Painting with traditional materials has also proven valuable for processing and thinking through adversity, both on a personal level and for some of the communities that I have worked with. My paintings and photographs of temporary works bear witness to existence, akin to the function of a postcard or personal photo album; the format of which have changed dramatically with the growing role of digital media over the last two decades. Positioning my artwork across the spheres of photography, psychology and environment is not only theoretical but the work is often site specific for political and practical reasons. My temporary paintings have been made in quarries / landfill sites, parks, with Ibizan goats, Surrey sheep, the ocean, underpasses and an overpass, a farmer and a fire brigade. In recent years librarians have helped to share my studio based paintings and hand bound books. Next week I'm returning to Westminster Reference library, Leicester Square, London artrabbit.com/events/the-orange-tree-lee-simmons 'The Orange Tree' A selection of Simmons’ landscape paintings, prints and artist's books will be in the library exhibition space from 27th May to 2nd June 2019. She will be developing new work on site, as part of a long standing project with libraries.      Orange Tree, oil paint on aluminium, 30x40 cm, 2019 Freedom, oil paint on aluminium, 30x40 cm, 2019 Snow, oil paint on aluminium, 30x40 cm, 2019 Autumn, oil paint on aluminium, 30x40 cm, 2019 Winter, oil paint on aluminium, 30x40 cm, 2018  'Westminster Reference library is a public library in the heart of London’s West End, located between Leicester Square and Trafalgar Square. Situated on the site of Sir Isaac Newton’s house, the library’s architecture reflects the original building’s charming style and continues its rich history. We have served the public for over 90 years and hold a collection that draws on our culturally significant location. Our Art & Design collection is designated by Arts Council England as a collection of outstanding national significance.'  L.A.Simmons Painting Studio * Our fingertips are made of stardust * My next installation now has a blog page page here: Stardusting The launch is 8th September 6.30pm, I'm excited to know what will have happened by the 23rd, when the installation closes. Some incredibly varied meetings and skill swaps seem to have booked themselves. Get in touch for more info. or to book, though it's fine just to turn up during opening hours. Thames-Side Studios Gallery Thames-Side Studios Harrington Way, Warspite Road Royal Borough of Greenwich London SE18 5NR.  A durational painting made by L.A.Simmons and rock climbers with pigment on their hands, is evolving throughout this exhibition. The Yoga Space London are holding a free class to a responsive DJ set from Justin Quirk for the opening event.  I'm looking forward to a new painting / installation / sociable sculpture in September! It'll take place opposite The Reach climbing wall in Woolwich, SE London (and near my studio - handy). Everyone welcome. More info. soon.  Thames-Side Studios Gallery
L.A. Simmons Painting Studio *Our fingertips are made of stardust* Exhibition Dates: 8-23 September 2018 Preview: Saturday 8 September, 6.30-8.30pm, all welcome. A durational painting made by L.A.Simmons and rock climbers with pigment on their hands, is evolving throughout this exhibition. The Yoga Space London are holding a free class to a responsive DJ set from Justin Quirk for the opening event. About: Thames-Side Studios-based L. A. Simmons’ art practice is rooted in painting, but crosses over with sculpture, live art, photography and writing. Through these primarily visual tools, subjects are explored, questions asked, and stories shared. For Our fingertips are made of stardust, Lee Simmons has invited Thames-Side Studios-based The Reach, South London’s largest climbing wall, and The Arch Climbing Wall, and their associated climbing instructors to create a performative installation within the gallery using climbing holds and paint pigment. Simmons will then turn the rest of the gallery into an extension of her studio, with designated ‘zones’ concentrating on differing areas of her practice. This will include recent paintings and related materials, with an area for book making Polaris - seven years painting. For the opening event The Yoga Space London will hold a free class with a responsive DJ set from Justin Quirk of NO UFO's. L.A. Simmons thanks The Reach for their help with this exhibition, and The Yoga Space London for supporting the opening event on 8th September. About the artist: L.A. Simmons has been working in varied contexts with paint, people and animals since graduating from a Bachelor of Arts degree from John Moore’s University in Liverpool (Fine Art), later studying Masters degrees at Chelsea College of Art and Design (Environment / Public Realm) and Goldsmiths University of London (Psychological / Social). Simmons gives photographic images from installations and spectacles a similar function to postcards or family photographs: snapshots log and share that which would otherwise exist only through lived experience. This was her intention in some early works as an end in itself – the making of artworks created anchors to moments in time and space. Later pieces relate more directly to the sociopolitical context that they take place in or are motivated by. Long term work with marginalised groups, and urban-rural fringe environments, has influenced psychological, social, and environmental considerations within Simmons’s projects, installation art and painting. Documentation of her artworks form a legacy, for exhibition and archival purposes; photographs are from live art and physical creations, the artwork is not made digitally. www.lasimmons.com This exhibition is made almost entirely from recycled materials. Thanks to Arch Climbing, Castle Climbing Centre and The Reach for donating disused holds and Emafyl Robobond for their repurposed wood. For general Thames-Side Studios Gallery enquiries please email info@thames-sidestudios.co.uk Image courtesy L.A. Simmons, 2018 Thames-Side Studios Gallery Thames-Side Studios Harrington Way, Warspite Road Royal Borough of Greenwich London SE18 5NR. Thames-Side Studios Gallery open Thursday-Sunday 12-5pm during exhibitions and by appointment. For general Thames-Side Studios Gallery enquiries please email info@thames-sidestudios.co.uk This post shares a collection of postcards I made in 2017, using photographs from my art practice. These paintings and installations have existed and are not created digitally.                                                                                     More of the concepts and processes behind projects are here: lee-simmons.blog/postcards
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