John Sims

This site shows a selection of paintings made in England and Cyprus as artist-in-residence/tutor at the Cyprus College of Art and in Folkestone in Kent. In late June 2013 I moved across the county to Whitstable on the north Kent coast and now live in a village in the River Stour valley called Chartham.

When I arrived in Cyprus, late September 2007, I was principally a stone carver and a maker of measured life drawing that informed my carving. Initially I was excited by the great variety of freely available stone in Cyprus, limestones and grey/green serpentanite.

I no longer work with stone but began using found objects, timber, twigs, kebab sticks, plaster and colour.

My drawing has also changed from painstakingly detailed work as an illustrator through to measured observational drawing from the life model to the more instinctive oil pastels. I use them as stubs, almost my fingers...it feels somewhat like carving in colour. During 2012 I returned to working with graphite and colour pencil, sometimes combined with oil pastel and more recently I have been painting with watercolour. More often than not, the drawings are derived from mythology, ancient archaeology and dreams.

During 2011 I progressed with the use of scrap ...

2007/08 Postgraduate Diploma in Fine Art.
Cyprus College of Art
2002/06 BA (Hons) Sculpture.
Canterbury Christ Church University
1969/73 Diploma in Graphic Design and Illustration. Folkestone School of Art.

2002/2006: Various group exhibitions in Kent.

2008/2009: Various one man and group exhibitions, Cyprus.

2010-11: Group Exhibitions at Chimaera Gallery, Folkestone. Cristus Gallery, Sandgate. Outside The Square Gallery, Margate. Folkestone Art Society Spring & Autumn Exhibitions.
Winter 2011: Sketchbook Exhibition. University of Lincoln.
July 2011: One man show 'Predators' bird sculptures and drawings at The University Centre Folkestone.

2012: Various Group Exhibitions
March: Royal Society of British Artists Open Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London
November: 'Nature Morte' bird sculptures at the Society of Wildlife Artists Open Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London

2013: Various Group Exhibitions
May: Royal Society of Portrait Painters (Self). Mall Galleries, London
June: Drawing shown at The Pastel Society Annual Exhibition. Mall Galleries, London
June: Group Show. Space Gallery, Folkestone
July: Dead Heron drawing selected for and shown at The Inaugural Derwent Art Prize for drawing at The Mall Galleries, London
July/August: A1 Group Exhibition at Horsebridge, Whitstable


2014: Various Group Exhibitions
Jan/March: 'Trouble & Strife' Group Exhibition, The Beaney, Canterbury. Exhibition of work by Kent artists...