Artist's Statement
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My work seeks to explore the nature of humanity and to express the inherent complexity and mystery of our relationships to the world we live in and to each other. Combining familiar imagery in unfamiliar ways, I invent scenarios that can be thought of as puzzles with no right or wrong solutions—and perhaps no solutions for them are possible at all. These puzzles are analogous to the changing and perpetually unresolved nature of life itself.
The multiplicity of possible readings of symbolisms in my work is central to my concept. However, there are certain elements that I see as being symbols or metaphors for specific aspects of human experience. In my sculptural work there is a particular emphasis on the play between the interior and the exterior. Small figures timidly peering out through windows and doors from inside hybrid architectural/bodily forms symbolize a human desire for an unattainable sense of security. The mysterious, hidden, interior spaces of my sculptures speak about the disparity between our external appearances and the aspects of our inner selves that are unknowable by others. The scenarios in my work usually seem to suggest that some sort of performance is taking place, partially due to the vaguely circus-like imagery that I often use. This idea of performance in my work can be seen as a metaphor for the the performance aspect that exists in each of our lives. We each find ourselves in certain situations in which we must “act”. Our lives can be seen as being made up of a series of these situations.
Certain elements in my work make nostalgic references to earlier periods in history. The dress of the figures I invent often recalls styles of the 19th century. Other elements in my work even have a medieval look. I'm interested in this historical quality as a way of creating distance from the reality we are familiar with, thereby encouraging the viewer to use his or her imagination while contemplating these scenarios.
Life is amazingly complex and perpetually filled with unanswerable questions, yet each of us must find a way to make some kind of sense of it all. It is in human nature to simplify the world around us so it can be better understood and articulated, but there is inevitably much that is missed when we do this. It is our condition of limited understanding of reality that prompts us to dream and to use our imaginations. My work addresses this condition.
Links
Gallery Representation:
521 1st st. Davis, CA 95616
phone: 530.756.3938
Sites of other artists:
Prints of my drawings are available at:
Resume
Education:
2013 - MFA, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA.
2006 - BA in Studio Art, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA
Teaching Experience:
2014-2018
- Figure drawing and painting teacher at C.S.M.A, Mountain View, CA
2012
- Teaching Associate, one semester of Intro to Ceramics at San Jose State University, San Jose, CA
Selected Solo Exhibitions:
2019
- Avery Palmer, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
2017
- New Works of Avery Palmer, James Snidle Gallery, Chico, CA
2016
- The Perpetual Circus, Empire Seven Studios, San Jose, CA
- Avery Palmer, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
2014
- Dreams, Mohr Gallery, C.S.M.A, Mountain View, CA
- Avery Palmer, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
2013
- MFA Thesis Exhibition, Gallery 2, SJSU Art Building, San Jose, CA
2012
- New Paintings, Gallery 2, SJSU Art Building, San Jose, CA
2011
- Recent Work by Avery Palmer, Gallery 5, SJSU Art Building, San Jose, CA
- A Selection of Oddities, Gallery 5, SJSU Art Building, San Jose, CA
2010
- Quirky Circumstances, Pence Gallery, Davis, CA
Selected Group Exhibitions:
2018
- Figurative Association Exhibition, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN
- Mermay, Modern Eden Gallery, San Francisco, CA
- This Is Not An Art Show, Faultline Gallery, Oakland, CA
- The Art of Painting in the 21st Century, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
- Patterns, Cactus Gallery, Los Angeles ,CA
2017
- Hark, Kalied Gallery, San Jose, CA
- The More the Merrier, Art Ark Gallery, San Jose, CA
- John Natsoulas Gallery at SOFA Chicago 2017, Chicago, IL
- 30 Ceramic Sculptors, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
- Expression of Surrealism, Dada Bar/Gallery, San Fransisco, CA
- The Art of Painting in the 21st Century, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
- Lover's Eye, Modern Eden Gallery, San Fransisco, CA
2016
- Hark, Kalied Gallery, San Jose, CA
- The More the Merrier, Art Ark Gallery, San Jose, CA
- John Natsoulas Gallery at SOFA Chicago 2016, Chicago, IL
- John Natsoulas Gallery at New York Affordable Art Fair, New York, NY
- Private Conversations, Works Gallery, San Jose, CA
- The International Figurative Biennale, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
- Creation, Kaleid Gallery, San Jose, CA
- 30 Ceramic Sculptors, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
- Sacred Art, Asiel Design, San Jose, CA
- Bark!, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
2015
- Wunderkammer, Art Thou Gallery, Berkeley, CA
- Wanderlust, Modern Eden Gallery, San Francisco, CA
- Hark, Kaleid Gallery, San Jose, CA
- The More the Merrier, Art Ark Gallery, San Jose, CA
- 50 and Looking Forward, Triton Museum, Santa Clara, CA
- Sacred Art, Asiel Design, San Jose, CA
- The Art of Painting in the 21st Century, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
- Humboldt / San Jose Connect, Lake Tahoe Community College, South Lake Tahoe, CA
- Bark!, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
2014
- Hark, Kaleid Gallery, San Jose, CA
- Halloween International Group Show, Auguste Clown Gallery, Melbourne
- Halloween Show, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
- Figuratively Speaking, SMAart Gallery, San Francisco, CA
- Small Works Group Show, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
- What I See When I See Me, Kaleid Gallery, San Jose, CA
- Community Matters, San Jose City Hall, San Jose, CA
- Circus Show, Canvas Ghost Gallery, San Jose, CA
- Grotesque, Modern Eden Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2013
- The Compendium of Craft, Art Attack SF, San Francisco, CA
- Powerful Images and Alluring Objects, 111 Minna Gallery, San Francisco, CA
- Everyday Worlds: Interiors and Exteriors, de Young Museum, San Francisco, CA
- Seed, The Citadel, San Jose, CA- 30 Ceramic Sculptors, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
- Art of Painting in the 21st Century, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
- Tango and the Modern Nude, Art Ark Gallery, San Jose, CA
- Bark!, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
2012
- The More the Merrier, Art Ark Gallery, San Jose, CA
- Ceramics Annual of America 2012, Festival Pavilion at Fort Mason, San francisco, CA
- Beneath the Surface, Fm Gallery, Oakland, CA
- Matter! New Generations: Student Showcase, De Young Museum, San Francisco, CA
- John Natsoulas Gallery at NCECA 2012, Seattle, WA
- Emerging Artists Exhibition, University Gallery at CSU East Bay, Hayward, CA
- Bark!: An Artistic View of Man's Best Friend, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA- 30 Ceramic Sculptors, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
2011
- John Natsoulas Gallery at SOFA Chicago 2011, Chicago, IL
- The More the Merrier 2, Art Ark Gallery, San Jose, CA
- Idiom-Synchronies: a Show of Common Oddities, Works Gallery, San Jose, CA
- 30 Ceramic Sculptors, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
- Bark!, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
2010
- John Natsoulas Gallery at SOFA Chicago 2010, Chicago, IL
- The Humboldt Tripod, Herbert Sanders Gallery at SJSU, San Jose, CA
- Family Reunion, Solomon Dubnick Gallery, Sacramento, CA
- Mind Games, Placer Arts Gallery, Auburn, CA
- John Natsoulas Gallery at SF Fine Art Fair 2010, San Francisco, CA
- 30 Ceramic Sculptors, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
- John Natsoulas Gallery at FADA Los Angeles Art Show 2010, Los Angeles, CA
2009
- John Natsoulas Gallery at SOFA Chicago 2009, Chicago, IL
- From Fire to Figura, Solomon Dubnick Gallery, Sacramento, CA
- Sculpture Fest 2009, Muddy’s Hot Cup, Arcata, CA
- HSU student exhibition at the CCACA, Davis, CA
2008
- HSU student exhibition at the CCACA, Davis, CA
- Tromp L’Oeil, John Natsoulas Gallery, Davis, CA
2007
- Young Alumni, HSU First Street Gallery, Eureka, CA
- HSU student exhibition at the CCACA, Davis, CA
- Teapot Show, HSU Art Building Foyer Gallery, Arcata, CA
email: avespalmer@gmail.com
