‘Edgar’ is from a series of oil paintings that have derived from “Claude” sold on the opening night of the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2015

This work started as a simple white line drawing on dark background. There’s something very appealing to me working in this ‘negative’ way. It was a delicate balancing act to flesh the piece out with paint whilst still keeping the simplicity and space.

Simon-kirk-claude-and-the-royal-academy-summer-exhibition

“I initially intended this piece to be a minimal painting of an artist in his studio. However, as I painted I was listening to a radio discussion on poverty. I began thinking of the different way poverty is perceived. The romantic notion of the penniless artist means it’s almost like proof of integrity, compared to the portrayal of the poor as feckless and lazy. I added a teacup to his table, rather than a glass of wine. It could still be an artist in his Parisienne garret, but it could also be a man in a room somewhere in England.”