A Love Letter to London

'A Love Letter to London' is an unabashed expression of Simonson's lifelong love for London. He says: "It is where I was brought up, where I spent thirty-five years working and where I still go for inspiration – for its raw complexity, for its cosmopolitan layers and for its buildings, people and streetscapes. I wanted to focus on places and experiences that have meant a lot to me, from the City streets and riverscapes that I have traversed day to day for so many years, to the more intimate scenes of restaurants and cafes I have frequented, and islands of tranquility such as Kew Gardens and the Embankment."

This is David Simonson’s first London exhibition. He spent a thirty-five year career in strategic consulting in the City of London, advising companies and institutions around the world, largely on what not to say! Since 2019 he has been consulting on sustainability and net zero programmes.

Simonson started painting at the end of 2020, largely as an escape from the lockdown, and has been developing his approach to a range of media, across oils, acrylic, watercolour, pen and ink, and charcoal. He is influenced by and follows a wide range of artists, and in his charcoals he draws particularly from the work of John Bokor, Lucinda Rogers, Gerard Byrne and Lyndon Hayes. His style is largely figurative, but seeking dominant lines and accentuating perspectives in landscapes and streetscapes. For this exhibition he has brought into his works a fascinating array of people, and spent considerable time giving them movement and purpose. He is a graduate of Durham University in Geography, and gained a Masters in Ecology from Imperial, London. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a patron of the British Exploring Society. David has previously exhibited at Somerset Art Weeks.