About Simon Zekaria

Simon Zekaria is an award-winning British artist based in London in the United Kingdom, working 'en plein air' - direct from life - and from a studio to produce original fine art in oil paint.

He is drawn to the school of impressionism in my artwork; using broken color and painterly, textured brushstrokes to capture light and shadow. His aim is to spontaneously render the feel and atmosphere of a place or subject, at a certain moment of time, through impressionist art.

His art practice is a journey of self-discovery, fueled by his admiration for the Impressionists, and characterized by a willingness to surrender to the creative flow. When he approaches a painting, he goes with the flow, letting his instincts and emotions guide his hand. His brush strokes are loose and painterly.

This allows him to convey the emotional essence of a subject. He trusts his inner voice and this connection between his inner thoughts and the surface in his pieces that are not only visually striking but also resonate with authenticity. 

In terms of his art education and learning, he studied life drawing and landscape painting at art institutions and academies in London, including Camden Art Centre in Hampstead, Hampstead School of Art and Dulwich Art School, in addition to self-taught studies.

He has also studied and worked in the UK and other countries under the tutorship of a roster of artists.

Artistic influences include Monet, Manet, Renoir and Schmid.

He has earned several awards throughout my art career and has exhibited in numerous prestigious group shows, including with Chelsea Art Society and the Gallery at Green & Stone in London.

He has also undertaken private commissions and his work is held by private collectors in the UK and internationally.

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In 2022, he studied plein air street and landscape painting on location in Montelparo, Italy under the tutorship of award-winning British artist Jennifer Aitken, Member of the Royal Society of Marine Artists.

In 2022, he received a Commendation for his artwork from judges of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters (ROI) at the ROI Paint Live plein air competition. 

In 2023, he won the Principal’s Art Prize awarded by the Hampstead School of Art at the Hampstead Summer Festival.

In 2023, he studied plein air landscape painting in Scotland under the tutorship of Susanna MacInnes, winner of Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year 2023, Heat 2.

He also studied life drawing at the Hampstead School of Art under the tutorship of Francesco Poiana.

In 2024, he was awarded 'Honorable Mention' by the PleinAir Salon of PleinAir Magazine.

In 2024, he studied portraiture in oil at Dulwich Art School under the tutorship of Alex Tzavaras.

In 2024, he studied oil painting in the form of the work of Joaquín Sorolla under the tutorship of Peter Keegan.

He was also given an award for his painting by the Hampstead School of Art at the Hampstead Summer Festival.

In 2025, he was awarded the Ottolenghi Art Prize for painting from Yotam Ottolenghi.

He is a member of the London Plein Air Group of artists and Highgate Contemporary Art, as well as a friend of the Royal Academy of Arts and Chelsea Art Society.

For the latest news, please follow him on Instagram @simonzekariaart.

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"My enjoyment of painting is the process as much as the end result. It is about finding the subject and letting it emerge. I enjoy the surface created, the brushwork and the differences between lean and fat paint. I want the painting to read from a distance as reality, but close up to be a series of painterly marks. I like to work with a limited palette, adding a few bright lights for emphasis" 

Simon Zekaria

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AWARDS

Winner of the Ottolenghi Art Prize 2025, awarded by Yotam Ottolenghi

Painting prize awarded by the Hampstead School of Art (HSOA) 2024

Awarded 'Honorable Mention' by US PleinAir Salon of PleinAir Magazine 2024

Winner of the Principal’s Art Prize, awarded by the Hampstead School of Art (HSOA) 2023

Commendation awarded by the Royal Institute of Oil Painters (ROI), Paint Live Plein Air Competition 2022

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

Green & Stone Gallery Summer Exhibition 2024

Chelsea Art Society Summer Exhibition 2024

Highgate Contemporary Art 2024 and 2025

54 Gallery 2025