Jeffrey Simmons

@jeffreysimmonsstudio.com

259 Followers 697 Following

Visual artist, Seattle, Washington. Represented by Greg Kucera Gallery, Inc., Seattle.

An open sketchbook displaying an abstract, symmetrical composition spread across both pages, the axis of symmetry being the inner margin where the pages are bound together. The composition stops approximately one and one half inches short of the bottom of the page. The mirrored image is made up of short, overlapping, loose splotches of brown-black watercolor paint.
A close-up photograph of an in-progress painting, taken from an angled position low to the surface of the canvas. The surface is covered with yellow painter's tape which has been cut into a stencil of repeating, diagonally-oriented capsule shapes arranged in horizontal rows. The overall pattern vaguely resembles twisted rope or a telephone cord. The lower portion of the pattern has been filled in with white paint, which also obscures the yellow of the tape.
An open sketchbook displaying a symmetrical composition spread across both pages, the axis of symmetry being the inner margin where the pages are bound together. The composition stops approximately one and one half inch short of the bottom of the page. The mirrored image is made up of short, overlapping, loose marks in brown, blue, and yellow watercolor paint. Most of the overlapping marks are oriented vertically on the page. An unrelated, geometric preparatory drawing can be seen below the sketchbook, and a twelve-inch ruler is visible on the surface, to the left of the open sketchbook.
An open sketchbook displaying a symmetrical composition spread across both pages, the axis of symmetry being the inner margin where the pages are bound together. The composition stops approximately one and one half inch short of the bottom of the page. The mirrored image is made up of loose marks in graphite watercolor paint in tones ranging from black to very pale gray. Short arcs, lines, and small dots appear here and there.
An open sketchbook displaying a symmetrical pattern spread across both pages, the axis of symmetry being the inner margin where the pages are bound together. The pattern stops approximately one and one half inch short of the bottom of the page. The pattern is composed of short, black, overlapping marks, painted in different directions, predominantly angled away from the inner margin. These marks are painted in carbon black watercolor. The spaces between the marks show layers of transparent yellow, magenta, and turquoise watercolor, layered over top of the black.
A small painting on a work table. The painting has a black background, with white ink-blot shapes organized in eight vertical columns. Some of the white ink-blot shapes are lightly tinted yellow. There are gaps in the pattern, where shapes have not been added yet, and some of the empty spaces are marked with small pieces of blue painter's tape.
An open sketchbook displaying a symmetrical pattern spread across both pages, the axis of symmetry being the inner margin where the pages are bound together. The pattern stops approximately one inch short of the bottom of the page. The pattern is composed of circles of varying size painted in water-soluble graphite. The circles touch at the edges and are closely-spaced so that the pattern resembles a net. There is a concentration of larger circles towards the center of the pattern.
An open sketchbook displaying a symmetrical pattern spread across both pages, the axis of symmetry being the inner margin where the pages are bound together. The pattern stops approximately one inch short of the bottom of the page. The pattern is composed of circles of varying size, each with a single dot in the center, painted in layered yellow, magenta, and blue watercolor, mixing to a warm brown-black with the constituent colors showing at the edges. I painted a similar pattern once, in art school, and the graduate teaching assistant said it looked like frog spawn. It didn't look like frog spawn then, and it doesn't particularly look like frog spawn now, though I suppose I can see where she was coming from. It would have been nice if the actual professor had shown up once in a while.
An open sketchbook displaying a symmetrical pattern spread across both pages, the axis of symmetry being the inner margin where the pages are bound together. The pattern stops approximately one inch short of the bottom of the page. The pattern is made up of skinny, vertical rectangular block shapes painted in layers of black, magenta, blue, and yellow watercolor. The vertical block shapes vary in length and are arranged in such a way as to suggest that they are rising from the outer edges of the page towards the inner margin, the gaps between blocks making diagonals across the pages.
An open sketchbook displaying a symmetrical pattern spread across both pages, the axis of symmetry being the inner margin where the pages are bound together. The pattern stops approximately one inch short of the bottom of the page. The pattern is rectangular block shapes, arranged like bricks in a wall, painted in layered yellow, magenta, and blue watercolor. The image is very similar to the one posted on December 7, only without any black pigment. There are gaps in the block pattern where white paper shows, particularly at the inner margin.
An open sketchbook displaying a symmetrical pattern spread across both pages, the axis of symmetry being the inner margin where the pages are bound together. The pattern stops approximately one inch short of the bottom of the page. The pattern is closely-spaced solid circles painted in layered black, blue, magenta, and yellow watercolor; the individual colors can be perceived around the edges of each circle. The circle pattern doesn't always meet at the inner margin, leaving areas of unpainted white paper, suggesting a sort of ink blot shape.
An open sketchbook displaying a symmetrical pattern spread across both pages, the axis of symmetry being the inner margin where the pages are bound together. The pattern stops approximately one inch short of the bottom of the page. The pattern is made up of horizontal, rectangular block shapes, arranged like bricks in a wall, each shape painted layered in black, blue, magenta, and yellow. The constituent colors are visible at the edges of each dark rectangle. There are gaps in the pattern, particularly towards the inner margin where unpainted white paper forms a mask- or insect-like shape.
An open sketchbook displaying a symmetrical pattern spread across both pages, the axis of symmetry being the inner margin where the pages are bound together. The pattern stops approximately one inch short of the bottom of the page. The pattern is made up of horizontal, rectangular block shapes arranged like bricks in a wall, but unevenly placed, with gaps in the pattern towards the axis of symmetry. The blocks are painted in layered watercolor: black, magenta, blue, and yellow, with the individual colors fleetingly visible at the edges of each shape. The white unpainted gaps near the center are shaped like a vase, or possibly a masked face.
An open sketchbook displaying a symmetrical pattern spread across both pages, the axis of symmetry being the inner margin where the pages are bound together. The pattern stops approximately one inche short of the bottom of the page, where the white paper is left unpainted. The image is composed of stacked, overlapping flower petal or tongue-like shapes radiating out from the inner margin, painted in thick black watercolor lines. Specks of red watercolor appear throughout the image, having bled through from a previous page.
An open sketchbook displaying a symmetrical pattern spread across both pages, the axis of symmetry being the inner margin where the pages are bound together. The pattern stops approximately one and one half inches short of the bottom of the page, where the white paper is left unpainted. The symmetrical image is composed of horizontal, black watercolor marks, flush with the outer edge page but not meeting in the center. The marks are of varying length, making a white, unpainted negative shape at the inner margin. The white shape roughly resembles an ink blot, but in reverse.
An open sketchbook displaying a symmetrical pattern spread across both pages, the axis of symmetry being the inner margin where the pages are bound together. The pattern stops approximately one inch short of the bottom of the page, where the white paper is left unpainted. The symmetrical image is composed of thin, curvy, densely overlapping lines in black, red, blue, and yellow watercolor.
An open sketchbook displaying a symmetrical pattern spread across both pages, the axis of symmetry being the inner margin where the pages are bound together. The pattern stops approximately one inch short of the bottom of the page, where the white paper is left unpainted. The pattern is composed of rust-colored watercolor X-shapes, painted close together to create the impression of an off-kilter diamond pattern, with magenta, blue, pale green, dark green, dark gray, and black filling in the diamond-shaped voids between the X-shapes.
An open sketchbook displaying a symmetrical pattern spread across both pages, the axis of symmetry being the inner margin where the pages are bound together. The pattern stops approximately one and a half inches short of the bottom of the page, where the white paper is left unpainted. The ink blot-style pattern is composed of shapes, primarily open circular forms, painted in blue-black watercolor with greenish undertones, surrounded by a warm red ground. The ground, painted after the blue-black shapes, is applied unevenly, and there are places where gaps of white paper show at the edges where the two colors meet.
An open sketchbook displaying a symmetrical pattern spread across both pages, the axis of symmetry being the inner margin where the pages are bound together. The pattern stops approximately one and a half inches short of the bottom of the page, where the white paper is left unpainted. The ink blot-style pattern is painted in grainy black watercolor and is comprised of closely-spaced, ragged-edged, uneven shapes.
An open sketchbook displaying a symmetrical pattern spread across both pages, the axis of symmetry being the inner margin where the pages are bound together. The pattern stops approximately one inch short of the bottom of the page, where the white paper is left unpainted. The allover pattern is painted in granular black watercolor dots, overlaid in pale shades of blue, magenta, and yellow. The dots are somewhat evenly spaced, but smaller and closer together in the top horizontal quarter of the image. Variations in the size of the dots create denser areas in the pattern, and in places the dots merge into larger dark shapes that resemble a face, or possibly the camouflage pattern of an animal.
An open sketchbook displaying a symmetrical pattern spread across both pages, the axis of symmetry being the inner margin where the pages are bound together. The pattern stops approximately an inch short of the bottom of the page, where the white paper is left unpainted. The allover pattern is painted in granular black watercolor, uneven and blotchy. One-third of the way down the page, the pattern starts to read as being made up of closely spaced horizontal bands. There are gaps towards the inner margin of the sketchbook, where unpainted white paper forms a symmetrical void.
An open sketchbook displaying a symmetrical pattern spread across both pages, the axis of symmetry being the inner margin where the pages are bound together. The pattern stops approximately an inch and a half short of the bottom of the page, where the white paper is left unpainted. The pattern is made up of overlapping vertical brush marks in purple, green, and orange watercolor, closely spaced and organized in horizontal rows across the page.
An open sketchbook displaying a symmetrical pattern spread across both pages, the axis of symmetry being the inner margin where the pages are bound together. The pattern stops an inch and a half short of the bottom of the page, where the paper is left unpainted. The pattern is painted in granular black watercolor. White paper shows where there are oval-shaped voids in the seemingly random, blotchy pattern.
An open sketchbook displaying a symmetrical pattern spread across both pages, the axis of symmetry being the inner margin where the pages are bound together. The pattern is composed of overlapping curves, vaguely resembling stacked flower petals, painted in green, purple, and dark blue watercolor.
An open sketchbook displaying a symmetrical pattern spread across both pages, the axis of symmetry being the inner margin where the pages are bound together. The pattern is made of white circles (unpainted paper) surrounded by painted, dark, blue-black watercolor ground. The circular voids are arranged randomly, resembling a starry sky.
An open sketchbook displaying a symmetrical pattern spread across both pages, the vertical axis of symmetry being the inner margin where the pages are bound together. The pattern is composed of green watercolor spots, unevenly applied, with a mottled magenta background painted in after the fact.
An open sketchbook displaying a symmetrical pattern spread across both pages, the axis of symmetry being the inner margin where the pages are bound together. The negative pattern is white circles defined by a background of blackish-green watercolor, loosely applied.
An open sketchbook displaying a symmetrical pattern spread across both pages, the axis of symmetry being the inner margin where the pages are bound together. The pattern is composed of blotches of grainy black and gray watercolor with a subtle yellow tint, distributed unevenly.
An open sketchbook displaying a symmetrical pattern spread across both pages, the axis of symmetry being the inner margin where the pages are bound together. The pattern is composed of short, closely spaced, vertical watercolor marks in blue, magenta, and yellow, with a small amount of black pigment added to each color. Color mixtures occur where the marks overlap.
An open sketchbook displaying a symmetrical pattern spread across both pages, the axis of symmetry being the inner margin where the pages are bound together. The pattern is composed of short, vertical watercolor marks in layered blue, magenta, yellow, and black; the marks line up in horizontal rows, and the length of the marks varies from top to bottom of the page.