About Douglas Simonson

Douglas Simonson spent most of his life in Hawaii. He now divides his time between his birthplace, Nebraska, and his new adopted home, Mexico. He travels extensively in search of fresh landscapes and new models to inspire him. In his 33 years as a professional artist he has attracted collectors worldwide, and now has art hanging in collections in 80 countries on six continents.

Simonson studied at the University of Nebraska, the University of Hawaii, and the Honolulu Academy of Arts. He has also studied privately with a variety of artists.

Simonson has always looked to the masters for inspiration and creative energy. Figurative painters who have inspired him include Picasso, Matisse, Gauguin, Egon Schiele, Amedeo Modigliani, Cornelius McCarthy, Armen Manookian and Jean Charlot. He also draws inspiration from expressionist and abstract painters like Joan Mitchell, Richard Diebenkorn, Jean-Michel Basquiat and many others.

The artist sums up his intentions when painting as follows: "Although I'm best-known for my work with the male figure, my true focus has always been on finding a visually exciting way to say what I want to say. So whether I'm painting a figure, a landscape, or an abstract, the subject matter is secondary to the way the paint (or whatever medium I'm using at the time) is applied. What this means in practice is that I'm constantly fighting the urge to be careful and get things "right" in my painting, and always pushing myself to take bigger chances, to be more daring and explosive. I'm not so interested in making something look photographically accurate as I am in evoking some emotional connection with the viewer; in other words, I'd rather have you feel something than be impressed with how well I drew something."