Jeffrey Simmons was born in 1968 in Cincinnati and currently lives in Seattle. He received his BFA from the School of Art at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
The artist's work has made frequent and direct reference to recent art historical precedents, particularly 1960's abstraction. Out of this conversation with the works of the Op and Colorfield painters has grown a new body of work. "The initial inspiration for my current paintings came from complicated painting techniques I developed while trying to imitate aspects of the artwork of the past," says the artist. "However, I found that the imagery itself began to develop in a very different direction." This imagery suggests tiny lights and sparks; comparisons can be drawn with bubble chamber photographs, softly glowing LEDs, and aerial views of nighttime cityscapes.
The artist's work has been exhibited since 1995 in numerous group shows in the region and elsewhere, including Unexpected Watercolors, The Art Gym at Marylhurst University, Marylhurst, OR (2005); Paintings that Paint Themselves, or so it seems, Kresge Art Museum, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI (2004); Building Tradition, Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA (2004); International Abstraction: Making Painting Real, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA (2003); Exponential: Four Huge Paintings, The Art Gym at Marylhurst University, Marylhurst, OR (2001); and Hands on Color, Bellevue Art Museum, Bellevue, WA (1999).
Simmons was a nominee for the 2005 Neddy Award given by the Behnke Foundation of Seattle, WA. He has received an Artist Trust GAP Grant (2002); a Betty Bowen Committee Special Recognition Award given by the Seattle Art Museum (1996); and a Pilloff Scholarship from Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, WA (1996). He has had previous solo exhibitions at the Linda Cannon Gallery, Seattle.
by Jen Graves/The Stranger
by Regina Hackett/Post-Intelligencer
