SUBTERRANEAN BY CHRISTIAN PALMER

Blaze

5/May/2005 - 29/May/2005

VENUE: Sauc Gallery

Daybreak

"Subterranean" is his first solo exhibition . Completed over a two year period the paintings are inspired by the underlying forces of nature .

Christian Palmer

Christian Palmer emigrated to Australia in 2001 and started
a family in Byron Bay. He now lives in Sydney where
his time is divided between pursuing a career as an artist
and raising his daughter. He was born 16 December 1970
in London and educated in the UK. He studied at Central
St. Martins School of Art and has sold paintings in Sydney,
London, Malta, Gozo and Byron Bay and was involved in
3 exhibitions in Sydney in 2004.
ʻSubterraneanʼ entitles this group of paintings by
Christian Palmer in his fi rst solo exhibition . The paintings
have been completed over a two year period and are all
inspired by the underlying forces of nature . Each of the
abstract landscapes represent an atmosphere rather than
a place. The abstract pieces are also grounded in nature
and the technique is common to the whole exhibition. The
deconstruction method involves selectively stripping the
surface away to reveal what lies beneath and the result is a
unique, distinguishable style that goes hand in glove with
the subject matter.
“Art school taught me that with so many talented people
in the world dedicated to their profession there has to be
something beyond technique that defi nes the work of an
artist. There has to be a journey and a story to tell so I left
my studies behind in search of varied life experience. Art
took a back seat in the form of my sketch book for nearly a
decade. Inspired by my peers and spurred on by self belief
I began to collaborate with a group of artist on the island
of Gozo in the Mediterranean. We experimented with techniques
and materials, worked collectively on the same art
work and painted with little respect for the canvas, in awe
of the process of painting without restraint. That is painting
without too much caution, full of vigor but mindful of
the process above all else, at times requiring a great deal
of faith.
What I fi nd most fulfi lling about painting is the marriage
of thought and intuition; the process of channeling inspiration.
I try to communicate my relationship with the world
and the worldsʼ relationship with spirit. The diffi cult part
of the pursuing a career as an artist is when it comes to
exhibitions and the need to sell work to stay in the game.
We invite criticism and hope for encouragement (and
sales). Completing a solo exhibition is no small feat but
getting buyers, art lovers and critics to get to know your
work can be a huge uphill struggle. I set up a photo shoot
to illustrate these thoughts and in retrospect I realise people
might think, who does this guy think he is? The crucifi xion
shot was an idea I had relating to artists bearing their soul
and inviting critics to crucify them...kind of an invite to
critics!”