Though Simonson loved living in Hawaii, he was fascinated by Brazil. He made the first of many visits to that country in 1987, and over the years as he’s explored more of the country and become more fluent in Portuguese, his love for Brazil and its culture has deepened. And, not-so-incidentally, Brazilian men have become a significant part of Simonson’s artistic subject matter.
Other travels and photo-shoot locations include Cambodia, Thailand, the Philippines, South Africa, Australia, Portugal, France, Southern California, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico.
Simonson on his first visit to Brazil in 1987
With Brazilian model Marcus on a photo shoot near Angra dos Reis
Shooting Eduardo in Rio de Janeiro
Bahian Beach Boys, painting of Israel and Wellington in Bahia, Brazil
The large acrylic painting Mustapha’s Garden grew out of a photo shoot with a Moroccan model in the South of France in 1990
Working with a model near Kampong Som, Cambodia, early 1990s
This painting was one of the best from the Cambodia photo session shown at left.
Working with Jeison at a beach near Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. The painting shown at right, By the Old Beach Kiosk, was one result of this photo shoot
