
Simon Pierse
Filmmaking, a new departure
I have not, until now, considered myself a filmmaker, I simply wanted to do justice to the achievements of one great man: T. Howard Somervell. As a painter, it was the mountain paintings of Howard Somervell which first attracted me, but over time I found out there was much more to him besides. I am lucky to have spent the past three years with likeminded people who shared the same vision I had, which was to bring an exhibition of Somervell's paintings and sketches before the public in the 50th anniversary of his death in 2025. Somervell is often described as a 'polymath' - a word that doesn't really do him justice. He was, if anything, possessed of too much talent and ability across an extraordinarily wide range. In this film I try to touch on the multifaceted aspects of this fascinating and somewhat enigmatic man.