JOE SIMPSON MUSICIAN PORTRAITS

Joe Simpson Musician Portraits

‘Musician Portraits’ is a series of paintings of famous singers and musicians including Brandon Flowers of US rockers The Killers, Mark Ronson, Paloma Faith, Maxi Jazz, David Gray, Jamie Cullum and Ezra Koenig (Vampire Weekend) There are 22 paintings in the series, each piece Oil on Canvas, sized 60 x 60 cm. All of the featured musicians sat for the project.

With a confidence and ambition belying his tender years, Simpson approached his favourite musicians from a wide range of musical genres and nationalities to participate in the series. Once the subjects agreed to be included, Simpson met up with each artist to take original photographs to work from to create an original oil painting.

Over a year in the making, the project proved as much a challenge in making contact with the subjects and then persuading them to be a part of the series. The project has taken Simpson all over the country - from musician’s houses and studios - to backstage at arena concerts and festivals and as far afield as Las Vegas to meet Brandon Flowers.

Simpson’s portrait of Maxi Jazz from the series was shortlisted for the prestigious BP Portrait Award 2011. The painting has been exhibited at The National Portrait Gallery as part of the most popular show in the gallery’s history. Because the painting was committed to the BP Portrait Award’s touring exhibition, Simpson created a new, portrait, with Maxi’s permission, for the solo show.

Speaking on the idea behind the pieces, Simpson says: “I’ve tried to root each painting in a tradition of painted portraiture – each piece has a quiet, still and almost introspective feel to them. I’ve tried to capture the way that each person held themselves when I met them. Usually I didn’t give the musicians a great deal of direction, or plan how I wanted the piece to turn out. These paintings have a physicality to them that you don’t get with a photograph; the paint has a specific weight and application - you can see layers and brushmarks in the hair and skin tones.”

The ‘Musician Portraits’ will only be available to view at this exhibition for just over a week when we will then move them to The Royal Albert Hall in London for a three week exhibition.

Maxi Jazz (Faithless) Oil on Canvas

60 x 60 cm

Paloma Faith Oil on Canvas

60 x 60 cm

Matt Beringer (The National) Oil on Canvas

60 x 60 cm

Sam Beam (Iron & Wine) Oil on Canvas

60 x 60 cm

Jack Steadman (Bombay Bicycle Club) Oil on Canvas

60 x 60 cm

Fyfe Dangerfield (Guillemots) Oil on Canvas

60 x 60 cm

Lisa Hannigan Oil on Canvas

60 x 60 cm

Liam Frost Oil on Canvas

60 x 60 cm

Mark Ronson Oil on Canvas

60 x 60 cm

Dan Mangan Oil on Canvas

60 x 60 cm

David Grey Oil on Canvas

60 x 60 cm

Ezra Koenig (Vampire Weekend) Oil on Canvas

60 x 60 cm

Emma-Lee Moss (Emmy the Great) Oil on Canvas

60 x 60 cm

Jamie Cullum Oil on Canvas

60 x 60 cm

Newton Faulkner Oil on Canvas

60 x 60 cm

Scroobius Pip Oil on Canvas

60 x 60 cm

Justin Young (The Vaccines) Oil on Canvas

60 x 60 cm

Brandon Flowers (The Killers) Oil on Canvas

60 x 60 cm

Anna Calvi Oil on Canvas

60 x 60 cm

Damon Gough (Badly Drawn Boy) Oil on Canvas

60 x 60 cm

Patrick Wolf Oil on Canvas

60 x 60 cm

Jade Williams (Sunday Girl) Oil on Canvas

60 x 60 cm

Maxi Jazz (Faithless) No. 2 Oil on Canvas

60 x 60 cm

Price List

Title Medium Size (cm) Price

Maxi Jazz (Faithless) Oil on Canvas 60 x 60 £5,950

Paloma Faith Oil on Canvas 60 x 60 £SOLD

Matt Beringer (The National) Oil on Canvas 60 x 60 £5,950

Sam Beam (Iron and Wine) Oil on Canvas 60 x 60 £5,950

Jack Steadman (Bombay Bicycle Club) Oil on Canvas 60 x 60 £5,950

Fyfe Dangerfield (Guillemots) Oil on Canvas 60 x 60 £5,950

Lisa Hannigan Oil on Canvas 60 x 60 £5,950

Liam Frost Oil on Canvas 60 x 60 £5,950

Mark Ronson Oil on Canvas 60 x 60 £5,950

Dan Mangan Oil on Canvas 60 x60 £5,950

David Gray Oil on Canvas 60 x 60 £5,950

Emma-Lee Moss (Emmy the Great) Oil on Canvas 60 x 60 £5,950

Jamie Cullum Oil on Canvas 60 x 60 £5,950

Newton Faulkner Oil on Canvas 60 x 60 £5,950

Scroobius Pip Oil on Canvas 60 x 60 £5,950

Justin Young Oil on Canvas 60 x 60 £5,950

Brandon Flowers Oil on Canvas 60 x 60 £SOLD

Anna Calvi Oil on Canvas 60 x 60 £5,950

Damon Gough (Badly Drawn Boy) Oil on Canvas 60 x 60 £5,950

Patrick Wolf Oil on Canvas 60 x 60 £5,950

Jade Williams (Sunday Girl) Oil on Canvas 60 x 60 £5,950

Maxi Jazz (Faithless) No. 2 Oil on Canvas 60 x 60 £SOLD

Biography

Joe Simpson is a figurative painter currently living and working in London. His paintings have been shown both

nationally and internationally, including prestigious venues such as Urbis, Manchester City Art Gallery, Cornerhouse and

The House of Commons. Joe works primarily in oil paint to create realistic images that utilise the conventions of

cinematography to present ‘staged’, fictitious scenes where time has been stopped and extended. These frozen moments

are deliberately ambiguous, inviting the viewer to inject their own emotions, motivations and narrative context into the

scene, thereby avoiding limiting interpretation.

Joe has completed several large scale commissions for prestigious clients, including a series of paintings for P&O,

Standard Chartered and the Professional Football Association. His work is owned by notable collectors and celebrities.

His largest exhibition ‘Almost There’ received funding from the Arts Council England and corporate sponsorship from

Audio Technica.

Exhibition History 2012 Everything Is Electrified, Camden Town Unlimited, London

2011 BP Portrait Award 2011, The National Portrait Gallery, London

Beck's Art and Music Label Competition, Shoreditch, London

2010 New York, New York, Azura Superliner

2009 Joe Simpson, Cornerhouse, Manchester

Almost There, Candid Arts Trust, London

2008 Accenture Corporate Art Loan, Accenture London Office

ArtMap Manchester, City Tower, Manchester

Follow the Lights, Lowry Hotel, Manchester

Waterside Open Art, Waterside Art Centre, Sale, Trafford

2007 Bankley Open 2007, Bankley Studios, Levenshulme

The Grieve + Samaritans Art Prize, House of Commons, London. Jurors: Anthony McNerney and Camilla D'Arcy-Irvine

Blank Media, Zion Arts Centre, Manchester

Capricious (Degree Show), University of Leeds

Liberté d´Expression, Light Gallery, London. Curator: Sharmina Karim

Nationwide Mercury Music Art Prize 2007, The Hospital Gallery, London. Juror: Sir Peter Blake. Director: Dan Ford

2006 Liberté d´Expression Competition, Candid Arts Trust, London. Curator: Sharmina Karim

Gallery Redbill, Shotton

Colourblind, Eleanor Winter's Gallery, Toronto

2005 Nationwide Mercury Music 'Art and Music 2005', The Air Gallery, London. Juror: Sir Peter Blake. Director: Dan Ford

*One By One, North, Leeds

2004 Channel 4 Self Portrait Competition 2004, National Tour (including Manchester City Art Gallery)

Bansang Hospital Appeal Charity Exhibition, University of Leeds

Gascoigne Gallery Painting Prize 2004, Gascoigne Gallery, Harrogate

Reuben Colley Fine Arts 50 & 52 St Mary's Row, Moseley, Birmingham. B13 8JG

Tel : 0121 449 3744

Email : enquiries@reubencolleyfinearts.co.uk

Opening Times

Monday - Open by appointment only Tuesday - 10am until 6pm

Wednesday - 10am until 6pm Thursday - Closed

Friday - 10am until 6pm Saturday - 10am until 6pm Sunday - 11am until 4pm