NEAL PALMER

NEAL PALMER

Return Journeys 4 - 29 May 2013

www.milfordgalleries.co.nz

milford galleries queenstown

9A Earl Street (03) 442 6896 qtown@milfordgalleries.co.nz

1

Shatter (2013) acrylic on can

nvas, stretcher: 1115 x 1424 x 32 mm

2

DNA (2013) acrylic on can

nvas, stretcher: 1015 x 1526 x 33 mm

3

One Tree acrylic on

Hill (2013) n canvas, stretcher: 713 x 1015 x 40 mm

4

Union (2013) acrylic on can

nvas, stretcher: 1014 x 1516 x 33 mm

5

One Step Beyo acrylic on can

ond (2013) nvas, stretcher: 1278 x 1675 x 32 mm

6

D a

Downtown (2013) acrylic on canvas, stretcher: 507 x 507 x 33 mm

7

Mellow Ye acrylic on

ellow (2013) n canvas, stretcher: 1014 x 1013 x 33 mm

8

Viridian S acrylic on

Shards (2013) n canvas, stretcher: 1014 x 1013 x 33 mm

9

Botanic G acrylic on

Gardens (2013) n canvas, stretcher: 1014 x 1014 x 33 mm

10

Check acrylic

kered Ribbons (2013) c on canvas, stretcher: 840 x 838 x 35 mm

11

Pretty i acrylic

in Pink (2013) c on canvas, stretcher: 840 x 835 x 35 mm

12

With Th acrylic

hanks to Ralph (2013) c on canvas, stretcher: 713 x 912 x 33 mm

Neal Palmer continues to explore the flora that surrounds us in Return Journeys. As well as the native harakeke and kowhai, he chooses the flamboyant blooms of the magnolia for closer investigation. The individual aspects of each species are emphasised, be it the texture of a branch, the form of a flower, or shadows of the foliage.

The floral studies are set against a neutral background which concentrates the focus on each subject. Mellow Yellow plays with illusion; the vibrant yellow of the kowhai seems to advance out from the canvas as the black background retreats. Palmer edges the petal-tips with a bright, creamy yellow and uses the same technique with the outline of the gnarled stems; these luminous hues reflect light off the painted surface and reinforce the sense of three-dimensionality. Tiny dots of red in the stamens provide visual signposts in the painting, inviting the eyes to rest upon them before moving on to the next detail.

The depth of perspective in Palmer’s harakeke paintings is likewise illusory; the viewer is invited to look through and beyond the tangle of shadowy flax blades. In Union the foreground is dim and shaded, with arching green planes edged with the thinnest of red. The eye travels up and over these towards a source of light at the top left of the canvas. Palmer breaks up the surface of the canvas with the acute angles of bifurcated leaves, strong diagonal forms and multi-toned colour; here too tiny hints of red lead the eye around the painted surface.

The paintings in Return Journeys are intimate studies. The dappled brown of a branch and the furry texture of a sepal are accorded the same importance as the blush of colour on a showy pink petal. Neal Palmer paints his appreciation of every part of his botanical subjects and invites the viewer to do likewise.

EXHIBITION PRICELIST 1

Shatter (2013)

9,000

2

DNA (2013)

9,000

3

One Tree Hill (2013)

5,500

4

Union (2013)

9,000

5

One Step Beyond (2013)

6

Downtown (2013)

2,500

7

Mellow Yellow (2013)

7,500

8

Viridian Shards (2013)

7,500

9

Botanic Gardens (2013)

7,500

10

Checkered Ribbons (2013)

5,500

11

Pretty in Pink (2013)

5,500

12

With Thanks to Ralph (2013)

5,500

11,000

All prices are NZD and include GST; Prices are current at the time of the exhibition

NEAL PALMER b. 1968, lives Auckland

Scatterlights (2011)

“Vividness, hyper-reality and sheer painterly skill… Brilliant technique…” (1) “Precision on a grander scale is apparent in the work of Neal Palmer … They are held together by a dancing rhythm of intersecting geometric arcs. Behind these are accurately painted pohutukawa and flax. These are exuberant, three times life size, and often startlingly red though with a hint of decay and insect activity. The brushwork emphasises such things as the fibrous nature of flax leaves. The rhetorical enlargement, geometry and realism celebrate the variety of growth in many forms.” (2) “More than anything, these paintings are a reflection of the artist’s love of natural form and involvement with the act of painting; the manipulation of colour, its hues and tones to form convincing photorealistic pictures.” (3) Neal Palmer was born 1968 in London. He gained a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Fine Arts from Trent University in Nottingham, England. He now lives and paints as a full time artist in Auckland. He has been a finalist in various art competitions such as the Margaret Stoddart Prize and The Wallace Trust Awards and in 2010 he gained a merit award in the Molly Morpeth Art Award in Whakatane. He has had numerous and regular solo exhibitions since 1999.

1. T.J. McNamara in the NZ Herald reviewing Say It with Flowers, November 2008 2. T.J. McNamara in the NZ Herald, reviewing The Sum of Their Parts, November 2006 3. Suzie Campbell, ‘Snapshot Reality- The Painted World of Neal Palmer’, Art NZ, Autumn 2004

Neal Palmer 2013 CV P a g e |1

milford galleries queenstown

www.milfordgalleries.co.nz

NEAL PALMER b. 1968, lives Auckland EDUCATION BA (Hons) Fine Art - Trent University, Nottingham, UK

SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2013 2011 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999

Return Journeys, milford galleries queenstown Luminance, milford galleries queenstown Splash, Whitespace, Auckland Woven Paths, milford galleries queenstown Get Real (Neal Palmer & Sam Foley), Whitespace, Auckland Say It with Flowers, SOCA, Auckland White Light, SOCA, Auckland The Sum of Their Parts, SOCA, Auckland On the Fence, SOCA, Auckland Between the Lines, SOCA, Auckland Formation, SOCA, Auckland Natural Explorations, SOCA, Auckland New Zealand Icons, SOCA, Auckland Larger Than Life (ii), SOCA, Auckland Larger Than Life - El Framo Gallery, Auckland

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2013 2012 2011

2010

2009 2008

2006 2005 2004

2003

2002 2001 2000 1999

The April Group Show, The Vivian, Matakana Reboot, milford galleries queenstown Christmas Show, nkb Gallery, Auckland The Royal Queenstown Easter Show, milford galleries queenstown Spring Catalogue, milford galleries queenstown Bloom, milford galleries queenstown My City, Whitespace, Auckland Putiputi: The Flower in Contemporary New Zealand Art, Hastings City Art Gallery, Hastings Molly Morpeth Art Award (Merit), Whakatane District Museum and Gallery, Whakatane Braveheart Youth Trust Art Exhibition, ASB Showgrounds, Auckland The Royal Queenstown Easter Show, milford galleries queenstown Margret Stoddart Prize, COCA, Christchurch A Bid for Freedom (SAFE), SOCA, Auckland Flying Feijoa, SOCA, Auckland Artists in Eden, Auckland 100 x 100, McPherson Gallery, Auckland When Brush Meets Bonnet, Team McMillan BMW Art Awards, Auckland Art & Design, Clerkenwell, London Finalist, Wallace Art Awards, Auckland 35K & The Golden Apple, Artspace, Auckland Artists in Eden, Auckland Big Red, Celebrating the Pohutukawa, Rotorua Museum 100 x 100, McPherson Gallery, Auckland Screen Invitational at Exit, SOCA, Auckland L.A. International Biennial Art Invitational, Los Angeles, USA 100 x 100, McPherson Gallery, Auckland Artists in Eden, Auckland 100 x 100, McPherson Gallery, Auckland North Shore Art Awards, Mairangi Arts Centre, Auckland 100 x 100, McPherson Gallery, Auckland North Shore Art Awards, Mairangi Arts Centre, Auckland Coutts Mercedes, SOCA, Auckland

Neal Palmer 2013 CV P a g e |2

milford galleries queenstown

www.milfordgalleries.co.nz

AWARDS 2013 2010 2009 2004

Artist in Residence, Art in the Park Wanaka, Minaret Lodge Finalist and ‘Merit Award Winner’ Molly Morpeth Awards Finalist, Margret Stoddart Prize Finalist, Wallace Art Awards

COLLECTIONS Air New Zealand, LAX Kings School Foundation, Auckland Art-Lease, Hong Kong Dawsons Catering, Auckland Private Collections in NZ, UK, Australia, USA, Spain, Malaysia and Hong Kong

BIBLIOGRAPHY 2002 2004

Caughey, Elizabeth (Ed.), Art New Zealand Today, Saint Publishing, Auckland, 2002 Campbell, Suzie, ‘Snapshot Reality - The Painted World of Neal Palmer’, Art New Zealand Autumn 2004 pg 70 – 73

Spot Yah (2011)

Neal Palmer 2013 CV P a g e |3

milford galleries queenstown

www.milfordgalleries.co.nz