About - Simon Wellington Artist

Simon works from his home in Seaton, Devon. He was always keen to become an artist since he was a toddler.

The family business was F. Speed and Sons which specialised in building and decorating. The company was set up in Midsomer Norton for the benefit of Arthur Speed (Simon’s Grandfather) who returned from the trenches of the First World War. Arthur was a talented artist who painted many of the Pub Signs in the area.

The sign writers’ workshop was Simon’s favourite port of call; where he would sit and watch them mix their paints and breathe in the smells of linseed oil and turpentine. Various apprentices all passed through those workshops. Even though signs were not necessarily art, eventually they all became artists.

When Simon originally left School he was due to take up a place at Taunton Art College to do a Foundation year, prior to a Teaching Degree in Art. He was lucky enough to be a good footballer and in The England Youth Football trials at the time. It was a choice between foundation year art or football, so he chose football. He played Professional Football until he was 18. In his free time away from training, he took a sign writing course at Bath Technical College.

His parents were keen he completed his education. A year later he took up a place at College on Wimbledon Common for a London University degree. He studied there for his Art teaching Bachelor of Education. He played part time football to subsidise his college education.

Once qualified he took up a post in a Show School in Southampton which was built to trial Middle School Education and Open Plan Classrooms. Neither experiment seemed to work but it did mean that as a new school it had all the best Art Teaching facilities and equipment possible.

A couple of years later, Simon was promoted to head of Art at a failing School in an Inner City area of Southampton. He found that he was frustrated by the lethargy that permeated both staff and parents. He left after 5 years in the profession in the hope of making a living from art.

He was lucky enough to have a one man show in Covent Garden in London, a solo show at Solent University and pictures shown in exhibitions in places like Southampton Art Gallery and the Mall Galleries London.

Commissions alone could not provide for a young family, so it soon became apparent that another source of income was required. The Manager of a Sunday team he played for asked if he could sign write shop front canopies and marker buoys for Yacht races. The Manager worked for a Company that provided Yacht coverings and various tailor made PVC boat awnings to the coastal industries. Simon ended up painting large inflatable buoys with ‘Champagne Mumm’ on them dozens of times. He made more money out of a week’s work signwriting than he had in the previous 3 months as an artist.

This was how he started Wellington Signs and Designs and helped fund his first Commercial Premises in Southampton. It was in the ‘Red Light’ district and turned out to be an ex Porn Shop! It was in the boom of the eighties and builders were hard to find. The shop was derelict and required major work and builders were like hens’ teeth.

A smartly dressed man turned up one day and offered him bricklayers, plasterers and tradesmen of all descriptions. He thought this guy must have been sent from heaven.

The tradesmen were excellent, but work was slow as they only turned up in the mornings and wanted to be paid at lunch times. The penny dropped when one worker was seen comatose on a park bench near the shop. It transpired they were from the local St Dismas Centre which catered for recovering alcoholics. The smartly dressed man turned out to be an care worker from the St Dismas centre. He hadn’t mentioned who his workers were, and that they may not last a full day!

In the last thirty-five years the business has grown, employed staff and been variously located in Twickenham, Brighton, Southampton and Midsomer Norton. Latterly only Southampton and Midsomer Norton remained but since the Corona virus both have now closed.

Fortunately, the staff in Midsomer Norton have taken up the mantle again and resurrected a business under the name of Speed Signs and Designs, in tribute to Simon’s Grandfather.

He is working mainly in watercolour because of its immediacy, as he likes to paint on site as much as possible. He will work in oil colour and any other media that suits, but this is usually on larger work. He keeps family traditions by pictorial sign painting as the mood suits him.

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