Stephen Palmer

Stephen Palmer's landscape paintings represent his attempts to 'distil experiences of place' through prolonged series, such as those of the South Downs near Brighton, and particular places often chanced-upon in France and London.

 

In recent years Stephen has painted less-frequently en plein-air and increasingly after-the-fact, as an act of remembering and reconstructing the experiences of place.  These are distilled through memory, notes and sketches taken at the time.  'I am aiming for a balancing of place and presence.'

 

In his latest work, Stephen explains his paintings reflect this 'desire to find fresh forms of expression for experience of landscape. They combine memory, sketchbook notes, and, in particular, qualities that emerge solely during the act of painting. 

 

'In these paintings, the contingencies of working in the field are replaced by the contingencies of the painting process in the studio.  This allows me to focus more completely and imaginatively with the subject.... and opens up a world of fresh possibilities.' 

Stephen Palmer has won numerous prizes including 1st Prize at the Journee des Peintres, La Flotte and Loix, Ile-de-Re in France and The Hicks Prize at The Discerning Eye in London. He has also shown in many private and public exhibitions including the BP Portrait Prize at the National Portrait Gallery, the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy, the Royal Festival Hall, the South Bank Centre and the Royal College of Art.