Ways of Seeing Lauren Simons, 2025 This body of work investigates perception as an embodied, neurodivergent process. For me, drawing becomes a living record of cognition and sensation — what I have described as a kind of mind-map, a way of documenting what happens in my head as it unfolds. Rather than beginning with a predetermined outcome, the work develops through a position of not-knowing, allowing each work to emerge through chance, interruption, and iterative layering. I

My designated install space (highlighted by blue circle) is a smaller space with a large window allowing for plenty of natural light to come in. Visualising my work in the space I plan to hang the majority of the drawings on the longer wall, with a couple on the smaller wall in the back right. The artist statement will hang on the wall that juts out slightly. By starting to place the drawings into groupings, I was able to create links and connect the drawings together where o

When I return to John Berger's 'Ways of Seeing' , I can see how his ideas resonate with the way I make and understand my drawings. Berger wasn't just analysing paintings; he was dissecting the politics of perception—how we inherit ways of looking, how we internalise them, and how images both shape and reflect the world we live in. Reading his work has clarified something I've felt intuitively for a long time, that my drawings aren't simply representations. They are examinatio

Being completely open I have needed a bit of help to process some recent happenings as there has been too much for me to process in such a short time. As an artist who uses themselves as a model for their work, whether it be physically or metaphorically, I do think there is some importance to try be open in areas where I can. In doing so this not only helps my art practice visually, as currently I am exploring my neurodivergence as a tool rather than a theme, but it can also

Splitting in relation to my Borderline Personality diagnosis (In my own words) I had written this while feeling like I was on the verge of splitting the other day. I decided to take a few sentences of what I had written and write them directly onto my drawing, documenting my thoughts and how I was feeling at the time. A split is not directed towards anyone, even though when it happens it seems like it. It only happens with the people that I love the most, because they are the

Today I tried something new. Instead of tracing my face to help ground me and my thoughts, I decided to only focus on my ear. I followed the curves, creases, and folds of my ear with one hand, while my other hand mimicked the movements onto the wall. This had a weird effect on the rest of my studio session that night. I was more focussed on what I could hear, like my attention had switched from blurred/distorted vision and seeing faces, to hearing the grind of pencil on paper

In recent weeks I have been feeling trapped, even in my studio which I go to to feel more free and safe in myself. My mind has been blurred and confused. I have been going on more bike rides to help combat these feelings and in doing so I have been able to reminisce on the times when I was at my most open and carefree self. On my bike rides I have been returning to the old graffiti walls where a number of people would meet up in the dead of night just to paint, hangout, liste

After feeling more settled with my first layer of my current BOW, I felt it was time to move on. There's no need to linger on something for too long otherwise things can get complecated. I made my first split of the pages to gain back a little bit of control, but decided to experiment by handing some control to someone else. After splitting all the pages in half, I wanted to remove my own bias of rehanging them on the wall as I transition into the next layer. I shuffled all t

Since its publication in 1972, John Berger's 'Ways of Seeing' has remained influential because it doesn't simply analyse images—it unsettles how weunderstand the act of looking itself. Berger begins with the idea that "seeing comes before words," a line that seems simple but has far-reaching consequences. We encounter the world visually long before we describe it, which means that by the time language arrives, our seeing has already been shaped by experience, ideology, and

I could finally work on my first layer of my drawing after a number of back to back hiccups. I decided to use this refercence photo of me in my home office. I was drawn to the shape created by the paintbrushes and my hand, the florals of my tattoo on my arm, the softness of my hair and skin, and the tired look in my eye paired with the smirk of my mouth. I decided to shuffle the pages round a little bit while still working on my first layer. I want to use the pages as a noteb

Is it fair for me to say that sometimes I feel stupid? And no I don't mean that to be a harsh way of thinking about myself. I mean that as a way of acknowledging that I don't understand even the simplest of things. I like research, and I like to do things to understand as much as can. I analyse things in detail. Look at the deeper meaning of things, but no matter how much I analyse, research or think, I can only ever understand the surface level of things. I can quite easily

I feel like this is important for me to share considering the ideas I have surrounding this BOW. My brain is different from the average person. When listening to music the volume has to be set to a very specific system otherwise I feel uncomfortable. 3, 5, 8, 10, 13, 15, 18, 20, and so on. In the morning I NEED to follow a set routine otherwise the day is ruined. After a shower, I have to do exactly 10 little stomps (5 with each foot) to get the excess water off because other

Reflecting on previous works that I have produced this year, I have set about starting a new drawing. I plan to extend the process I used in July ( https://www.laurensimons.art/post/install-and-artist-statement ) and create a series of drawings where I can confidently use the term "I don't know". I don't know what I am creating. I don't know what it will look like. All I know is the techniques, materials, and processes that I will be using, at the time of using them. In a way

Masterworks. 2017. “Yayoi Kusama (0).” Masterworksfineart.com . 2017. https://www.masterworksfineart.com/artists/yayoi-kusama?srsltid=Afm...

Responding to, and answering questions raised in feedback from my presentation: How do other neurodivergent artists or writers translate their specific perceptual worlds into form? "The adjective perceptual is all about perceiving, or sensing things. It's your perceptual ability that allows you to make sense of the world around you by seeing and hearing. In science, the various sensory systems (such as visual and auditory abilities) are known as perceptual systems. " — Voca

Work being critiqued: https://www.laurensimons.art/post/install-and-artist-statement-1 This critique session provided valuable insights...

Untitled Lauren Simons, 2025 This body of work engages with the disruption of traditional portraiture by deliberately fragmenting and...

Throughout my practice I have had a focus on highly detailed drawings and paintings of faces as well as the body linking to themes such as emotion and experience. During previous studies I decided to step back and look at simple techniques that I could incorporate into my work that could help emphasise these themes. When researching these techniques I fell down the rabbit hole of colour theory, in particular simultaneous contrast, a phenomenon that happens when two adjacent c