Saturday, June 13, 2009

I'm all bruised up! (Ladies and Gentlemen, featuring David Palmer)

Which means the show last evening was a giant success!
I also had a really stellar time in Berlin for Tyler + Chelsea Super Fun Game Day part I! with, who but of course, Tyler Bisson! :D
Thanks to everyone again who made it possible, and TFT, I'll see you in New Jersey.
:)

So, hey, lets talk about
DAVID PALMER.
(Hell yes, he is amazing.)
So, there are some things I should give you before talking about him in depth;
My first experience with David Palmer's work was in my "But is it Drawing?" class with Dawn Southworth.
She run and owns Clark Gallery in Lincoln, MA with her husband Dana Salvo. (clarkgallery.com) So, considering she has this lovely source of artists, she decided to share it with the class. Only myself and my friend Alexa (who is incredibly talented) showed up. The show at the time was on lines, and Palmer's piece, man, did they fucking stand out. Seeing them from across the room, I was absolutely captivated. I couldn't stop looking at them, they're HUGE. And not only huge in the sense of size, which they are (64x64 inches,) but also by power and intensity. I fell in love with them so quickly, I even dared to ask the most heartbreaking of all questions,
"How much?"
End of the story is, my little pizza wallet didn't just happen to have $10,000 in it that day, so, this would have to wait a while...actually a long while. If I wanted to just come up with that much money that quickly, I'd need to give two months of my life up to some scientists in a room with no windows for a sleep study (if you complete it, that gives you about $5,000, per study) But I'm not getting into that right now. I was to talk about Palmer. I want to talk about him, and his beautiful electric blue beauties.
The process behind this is nifty also;
Palmer dangles himself over his giant pieces with a large 27 inch paint brush and one can of blindingly perfect white and another of this bright, vibrant, blue (which also happens to be my favorite blue.) In one, long, stroke, he drifts his body and his brush along the canvas; twisting and twirling over his piece. That's one of the things that grabs me, he's not only just making one mark and then moving along to the rest of his day; he throws his body into it. He dances as the movement you see on that canvas. And if it doesn't feel like a right movement on canvas to him, he'll let it dry, sand it down, and repaint that perfect white over it again until you could never tell in the first place there was anything ever there. He has done this over, and over, and over again on the same piece of canvas. One after another until he sees that it feels right.

Now, that's what I feel is so amazing.
I can't begin to grasp how much emotion and energy is put into just one trial of these. There is no good enough way to describe how beautiful and massive these pieces are in person.

I can't recommend anything more than if you have a chance to see one of these, please, take it. Even the white background is enough to make a person feel like they've fallen into a peaceful, but strong, infinity. There is no flaw, or mistake, in any of these paintings. When you first see them, you think they must be some sort of photograph, or an extreme macro-closeup-super-view of some sort of something, anything. But as you follow the brush strokes, (which are extremely captivating to follow) you can't find yourself cutting your journey short. Almost like waving your closed palms in a pool in front of your body; you feel the push and pull of the water and pressure you have created.

These are one of the few paintings I will have in my possession before I die.

Oh, and fun fact: it only takes 10 seconds maximum to make one..if it takes any longer, he starts over.

Over and out,
-CM!

5 comments:

Cortney Zamm said...

The things you can see in art are like the things I see in movies. For this I appreciate you.

Tyler Bisson said...

thats your favorite color blue!!!

Chelsea Maida said...

Wow. Really, thank you.
It's really encouraging to hear you say that.


And yes Tyler, it is! :D

amy peck * photographs said...

Chelsea - I know I am late to the party here, but I received a newsletter from Clark Gallery today about David's exhibition. I wish I had $20K so each of us could proudly display one of these spectacular canavses. I subscribe to hundreds of galleries, art blogs etc. but today David's work had me intrigued and intoxicated....simply stunning!!!

Anonymous said...

Being even later to the party -I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I wrote.tgia entry at the bushy age of 17, and finding your reply here was a delight.