Henrik Simonsen's stunning paintings have the rare quality of paying respect to both the traditional and the contemporary through his uniquely ethereal style.

Nature has always been his first inspiration, with its ability to 'vary simple forms infinitely'. Always drawing first on the canvas before painting, Simonsen's process follows a parallel organic experience.

More recently the influence of the sumptuous 18th century's Rococo interpretation of nature can be seen in his work, along with experimentation with intuitive painting methods such as throwing or pouring paint onto the canvas. These developments allow him to perfectly demonstrate his rare talent for working with the piece to let an image unfold, rather than solely imposing his own aesthetic will.

As he says: What is very important to me when I work is the history of the piece. This is why I rarely attempt to erase anything completely on a canvas. I prefer to keep the drawing I later abandoned, changed or worked over as a part of the finished piece. I feel this gives the painting a feel of having occupied a period in time because the layers allow the history of creation to be visible, rather than reducing the piece to just an impenetrable surface.

Simonsen has exhibited at group and solo shows worldwide to huge acclaim, including a successful solo exhibition at the Royal Opera House. His work has also been selected and specially commissioned for public museum collections.