NEAL PALMER
Since studying Fine Art at Trent University, painter Neal Palmer was encouraged to experiment, his practice evolving from painting to printmaking and then installation. After graduating with a BFA (Honours), Palmer began working as a prop maker and scenic artist in film and television. Palmer lived and worked in the United Kingdom and then Australia until 1998 when he and his wife finally settled in New Zealand.
Coming to terms with the natural environment of his new home the artist engaged in painting again to great success, finding a strong affinity and emotional nostalgic response from the native flax. With a consistent interest in blending colour, pattern, texture, and abstract forms Palmer has consistently developed and perfected the illusion of a photographic depth of field. Allowing his work to slip in and out of pictorialism and abstract flatness, creating a tension between the painting’s surface and the illusion of space.
Palmer's work hangs in public and private collections here and abroad, including the James Wallace Art Trust and Air New Zealand.