Life in Black and White: Randy Simmons

Life in Black and White includes a collection of recent large, figurative charcoal drawings based on the artist’s personal narratives and relationships. Four years ago, Simmons’s two teenage boys made the decision to live with their mother four hours away. This caused a significant change in subject matter, ultimately leading to a series of drawings that explore relationships within the self and with others. While these subjects are still in his periphery, Simmons has most recently been influenced by trips to Italy where he studies the Italian street people, more specifically beggars. 

Randy Simmons is an Associate Professor of Drawing at Paducah School of Art and Design. He studied art in England, Scotland & Wales, including King’s College in London, before receiving his BFA & MA in Painting at Murray State University and his MFA in Drawing from the University of Cincinnati. Randy is a former president of the Yeiser Art Center Board of Directors and is a recipient of two Kentucky Arts Council Grants. He has exhibited extensively and his work is represented in several public and private collections in the region. Among other recognition for his work, he was a Merit Award winner in the 57th Mid-States Art Exhibition, Evansville Museum of Arts and Science, Evansville, IN. Randy also teaches for the KIIS Summer Studies Abroad program in Italy.