In the studio // Christian Palmer

In the studio with Christian Palmer

British born artist and now Byron Shire local, Christian Palmer has an established fine art background that was swept up by the urban street art movement. His work encapsulates unrestricted communication and aims to cast an unusual perspective on the human condition. Christian is renowned for his edgy, misfit animals that he breathes life and character into with a unique ability to highlight the appeal of idiomatic expressions in animals. He resonates with his viewers through the clever use of synchronistic and often humorous words delivered in child-like graffiti style phrases that embody the emotion of the situation. Christian has received widespread international acclaim with shows in the UK, Europe & Australia where his works have hung alongside the likes of Banksy, Blu and Paul Insect.

“I like to choose animals that have an edge about them, animals that are representative
of an outsider” Christian Palmer."

Thanks for chatting with us Christian, Could you tell us a little bit about the journey that led you to where you are now?

I’d like to just say something about where we are now. Perspective is a huge factor in how we prioritise goals and what is important. The natural disaster that has decimated so many lives in the Northern Rivers and beyond makes everything else I am about to say pretty unimportant but I will do my best to answer without prejudice and speak as plainly as I can. I would also like to include a fundraising initiative with this piece “Will it ever be the same Again?” I am doing a limited edition print run 0f 50 signed giclee prints. $200 from every sale will go directly to local efforts to support and rebuild lives affected by the flood. The hope is, with your help, we can raise $10,000 dollars

Will it ever be the same again?
After starting out in London at Central St Martins School of Art my work life went on many tangents before I returned to painting which was when I first moved to Byron around 2001 where I unlearned and relearned how to approach a canvas through experimentation and embracing mistakes focusing mainly on abstract landscape pieces. It is not easy for any independent creative to forge a career. Making stuff with your hands and your heart is not a great business model but I have been very fortunate to have exhibited internationally and constantly (pre-covid) for an extended period of time culminating in A New York Exhibition where I was commissioned to paint a piece for Robert De Niro. Then came creative burnout and Time out! Coming back to the studio I had to be re-centred and energised for it to mean anything and be worth anything to me personally.

Animals are clearly a strong inspiration behind your work, what is it that draws you to painting them?

It wasn’t always that way as I mentioned but the day I had to prematurely end my dog’s life changed the course of my work. I was finding it really hard to process grief, loss, guilt and heart ache. Painting a portrait of my dog was so cathartic it allowed me to fully experience those primal emotions without trying to bury them and from there it just exploded…domestic, agricultural, wild, feral, mongrel, but always dipping into that well of distilled emotion and exploring different perspectives on the human condition.

We love your use of lyrics to tell the story of the subject, how do you find the words that best fit the piece?

Music is so emotive and nostalgic and has always played a part in my studio experience and I’ve been jotting down lyrics in notebooks and sketchbooks for a long time but for many years I had a block about mixing image and words on canvas until I did a fundraising project with my daughter’s preschool class. I felt the childrens’ naivety and honesty , and having no filter, no pretence was embodied in their primitive letter formations. Once I appropriated this and used it to scrawl the message onto the canvas I found it took on those qualities and had a disarming effect making the words more palatable and the work less earnest. How I choose the lyric or whether the lyric presents itself is a synchronistic thing. There is no method. It could be the catalyst for a piece or an afterthought or never make it off the page of my sketch book.

Where do you find you feel the most creative?

Living here it’s hard not to be creative. I love being local, meeting clients, and collaborating with local businesses. I’ve been working in the same space for 12 years now and it has had its own journey starting as an open shed/ workshop, throwing up some walls and recycled windows and doors with a leaking tin roof which doubled as a Native American sweat lodge in the summer. It was a little rough around the edges to say the least but it earned its stripes and facilitated a huge body of work so its got its rewards and it is a lot more comfortable these days. It's my favourite place to be. My Studio.

Do you have a particular subject you enjoy painting the most? If so, can you tell us a bit more about them?

It all started with one dog and dogs have been core to the whole body of work that came after. I just think they are so well place to observe human nature. I’ve also had the privilege of being entrusted to depict many departed fury family members and know just how much they mean to humans. It is really quite a special bond. Then there are Elephants. For me they embody history, knowledge, and wisdom. Amongst other conservation groups and animal charities I have worked with I teamed up with ‘Let Elephants be Elephants’ fighting to educate the Asian market against the devastating effects of the ivory trade during my Singapore exhibition.

What are you working on at the moment?

Elephants. Another thing I love about Elephants is scale and the opportunity to work big but also the chance to get really intricate with my textural subterranean layers. I’ve just started a triptych for my tribe of elephants which measures 150x360cm. It’s still not big enough. On a smaller scale and due to the lack of exhibition opportunities in the last two covid-ridden years I have, for the first time developed a series of limited edition prints from my fine art portfolio creating an entry level price point for my work which can enhance those smaller spaces in the home environment and make my work accessible to more people.