Simon Stronach

Simon Stronach grew up in Aberdeen and was given his first camera as a Christmas present aged ten. He spent his adolescence taking moody monochrome photographs until leaving to study Archaeology at the University of Glasgow. Simon worked throughout Europe before settling in Edinburgh and expanding his practice using digital tools and hand printmaking. He joined Edinburgh Printmakers in 2013 and primarily produces photo-etchings. Printmaking provides a space for Simon to forget the day-to-day and express how he responds emotionally to the world. 

Simon’s process starts by creating digital exposures using his photographs as a base. His subjects are often architectural or sculptural spaces, abandoned completely or inhabited by strangers. Through Simon’s process these images are rendered into an otherworld by subtly layering or manipulating to create atmosphere and drama. The image is exposed onto a photosensitive metal plate and patterns of tone are etched into its surface. The hand printing process introduces unique character and patina. Simon’s titles are often cultural references that reinforce the work’s mood and invite contextual connections. The resulting prints are enigmatic: old and faded photographs found in a home clearance, fragments of someone else’s memories that resonate and invite speculation about what they depict.