Simon Addy
(1957 – )
Simon Addy was born in 1957 in South Africa. He spent most of his early life in, what was then Rhodesia, Zimbabwe and completed his schooling at Hamilton High in Bulawayo.
Addy then went on to study graphic design at the Durban Technikon. It was here that he began honing his vision and technique in the process of completing this three-year diploma. Addy then went to perform his military service as an officer in the South African Defense Force. He worked for Tongaat Textiles before he opened his own business, called Addy Lanning Advertising in 1980. Yet in 1986 he decided to become a full time artist along with his partner Lyn Hoyle.
Addy had the opportunity of seeing the work of Antoni Tapies and Jean Tinguely while in Paris which began to heavily influence him. It was here that he started incorporating ‘found objects’ into his paintings. Addy now uses these found objects to reflect a sense of humour and his attitude to life. His works often reflect his surroundings. One of his main philosophies in is simplicity, where life and painting do not need to be serious all the time.
In contrast to his humorous body of work, Addy’s landscapes are reminiscent of the old masters, with their luminous, detailed and often Turneresque qualities. They range in size from miniature to monumental and rather serious.
Commissions
Addy has received and executed many commissions through the years of being an artist, they have included typical ‘Fool’ type paintings, which often have the client as the jester and personalized with the client’s idiosyncrasies. Other commissions which he has done have been farmhouse landscapes which contain special meaning for the owners.