Simon is originally from the UK and has been in Central Oregon for over 15 years. He attended the “A” Level Art, Stratford-upon-Avon College and then received a National Diploma in Design – fine art, graphics and photography. His interest in the outdoors led him to pursue a Higher National Diploma in Wildlife Illustration adding to his artistic education.
Simon loves the marriage of art, craftsmanship and technology, which guitar making incorporates all of these elements. His interest in wood and working with a natural product, along with his talent with paint finishes works well with expressing his artistic ideas in the color work on our sunbursts and designing special inlays for custom guitars.
He is a keen fisherman and this inspires other art projects, outside of guitar making, that focus on his fascination with lakes and rivers and the creatures that inhabit them. Water has become a recurring theme in his work and he uses a variety of media in pursuit of its depiction.
We can’t say enough of what Simon contributes to the look and feel of a Thompson guitar.