‘It is the desire to represent the world not as we see it, but the way it actually is’, is the driving force behind this Cornishman’s work. A native of Porthtowan on the wind swept Cornish granite coast, Simon Smith is essentially a modern day cubist. He’s a former Truro Schoolboy (the posh school) and a carries, amongst other qualifications, a degree in fine art – mentored by the great Welsh painter and printmaker David Carpanini.

After a successful career in business Simon essentially retired back home to Cornwall by buying and running a pub, and most importantly returning to his first love of art. “The iconic mining ruins of the heritage coast lend themselves perfectly to the painter,” he says, “with the endless sweeping sky and rolling ocean as the perfect partner”. His home and pub, in Porthtowan, are situated just a dozen miles up the coast from the iconic artist centre of St Ives and the hub of Cornish creativity.

But why cubism? “I love to draw and financially speaking I gain a steady little income from my pointillist drawings of local sea life and fauna but, as rewarding as they are to complete, they don’t push the limits. Cubism on the other hand gives me the opportunity to push my limits to the maximum and really work at representing the 4th dimension of time.” And time is clearly important to him in his work with one beautiful triptych showing the not only a cubist sea/cliff scape but also the changing seasons from Spring to Autumn.

So what next? “I’m exploring the classic Analytic Cubist phase of Braque and Picasso and love the limited palette. My musician friends are keen for portraits so watch this space….”

See more of Simon’s paintings at https://www.facebook.com/Porthtowanfinearts