Artist

Adam Bell

Simon Fieldhouse spent 10 years studying and practising law before he realised he was in the wrong career. At 31, he swapped his law books and legal office for a paintbrush and artist studio and hasn’t looked back since.

Two years later, he had his first exhibition of architectural drawings at the Robin Gibson Gallery in Darlinghurst and it was a sellout.The next year another exhibition, another sell out.

Twenty-eight exhibitions and 16 years later, 49-year-old Fieldhouse is still doing what he loves; painting and exhibiting architectural art around Australia.

“Luckily, my style is really popular because for some reason people in Australia tend to really like drawings of buildings,” he says.

After studying law and working as a conveyancing solicitor for five years, Fieldhouse says his “creative soul” was slowly dying.

So he quit his job and got his first big break with architectural firm Rice Daubney Architects in North Sydney in 1987.

“I took a big drop in salary but what I lost in salary I picked up in enjoyment. I loved every day of it,” he says.

For the next 2 1/2 years, Fieldhouse made conceptual models of high-rise buildings.

“I remember saying to myself these drawings are beautiful, they could be artworks in themselves,” he explains. `”So then I went off at night and started drawing these models.”

Fieldhouse is today renowned for his drawings and watercolour paintings of historic buildings around Australia.

His works include the Strand Arcade, Luna Park at St Kilda, the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Sydney and the Queen Victoria Building.

His method is first photography, then drafting.

His tools include a black ink rotring pen, an airbrush for background and paintbrush for pillars. More recently, Fieldhouse has turned his brush to Sydney’s many historic wrought iron gates.

His latest exhibition, called the Historic Gates of Sydney, is a showcase of 25 historic gates guarding private schools, office buildings and churches.

His other work includes the Vice Regal Gates at the RAS Showgrounds, the Great Synagogue of Sydney and the Palace Gates at Sydney’s Royal Botanic Gardens.

Historic Gates of Sydney opens tomorrow and runs until December 16 in the Annie Wyatt Room at the National Trust Centre, The Rocks.