A Geography of Colour

Siemon Scamell Katz

A Geography of Colour

Show Notes

This month on 'A Geography of Colour' I am talking with painter Siemon Scamell-Katz about his relationship with colour. Siemon is a contemporary British painter, who has recently moved to France, living and working between La Soutteraine and Paris.

Siemon’s practice is based on an understanding of the way humans see. In his mid-twenties, he launched a business that researched human behaviour and pioneered eye tracking, a technique which allowed him to understand how we see – and interpret what we see. Rejecting realistic painting or photography as 'a false record of experiential reality', he has discarded everything representative and iconographic. Instead, he uses his knowledge of human vision to create works that draw their viewers in, allowing them to experience the fundamental feeling of the represented landscape and the Sublime, often in a deeply spiritual way. His paintings are non-figurative, abstracted from place and landscape in oil and enamel on aluminium – his process aims to remove both the frame and the icon so that the viewer is asked to look without seeing but feeling.

Links:

Siemon Scamell=Katz https://siemonscamell-katz.com/

A Geography of Colour https://www.ruthphilo.co.uk/a-geography-of-colour.html

Light Seconds: The Untimely Brilliance of Siemon Scamell-Katz by Shannon Forrest, Art Forum, 23 June 2023 https://www.artforum.com/slant/the-untimely-brilliance-of-siemon-scamell-katz-90774

Claude Monet, Giverny, Fondation Claude Monet https://fondation-monet.com/en/

Joan Mitchell, Joan Mitchell Foundation https://www.joanmitchellfoundation.org/joan-mitchell

More from A Geography of Colour

Feb 10, 2026

Aaron Kudi is a contemporary painter, born in Bauchi, Nigeria, he lives and works in London. He grew up between Nigeria and London and Devon in the UK. He has a BSc in Psychology from London Metropolitan University, an MSc in Psychology from University College London and worked as a sculptor before becoming a painter. Aaron has undertaken residencies at Thread, Josef & Anni Albers Foundation, Senegal, 2024 and the British School at Rome, 2025. He is currently studying in the second year of an MFA at the Slade School of Fine Art, London.

Jan 13, 2026

Jo Hummel is a contemporary British painter who lives and works on the Isle of Wight. She trained at the Royal College of Art and has established an international exhibition profile across the UK, Europe, the United States and South Africa.

May 30, 2025

A special edition of ‘A Geography of Colour’ podcast with painter Katrina Blannin, talking about colour and painting with Ruth Philo, from the Sluice Expo 'World Buidling' in Seyðisfjörður, Iceland with LungA School, originally broadcast on Seyðisfjörður Community Radio, May 2025.

Feb 26, 2024

Ruth Calland is a contemporary British painter, and also a Jungian analyst, ilving and working in London.

Jan 21, 2024

Mallory Page is a contemporary American painter, based in New Orleans. Mallory’s paintings employ multiple layers and hues of acrylic wash that cascade across large scaled canvas. Her interests lie in the study of the psyche, dreams and the subconscious. She often tethers psychic sensations or observations to build work about creating deeper interactions with the sublime. Mallory was raised in Lafayette, Louisiana, a region with a vibrant, often mystical, culture and distinctive geographical landscape. She holds a B.I.D. from Louisiana State University and is currently a candidate for a Master’s in Fine Art from The Art Institute of Chicago.

See all episodes →