Portsmouth born artist Garrick Palmer has been making paintings, drawings, engravings as well as taking photographs for over 60 years. A new solo show in March aims to encapsulate his singular approach to landscape, story telling and the abstract idiom. A retrospective of intensely coloured paintings of geometric forms emerge from years of landscape printmaking and illustrative work and will be exhibited at Jack House Gallery. ‘Garrick Palmer 60 Years of Art’ opens with a preview on Thursday 8th March from 6pm to 8.30pm and then opens from the 9th March to the 7th April.

Dark Wood Engraving
Perhaps unusual in contemporary art Garrick works in the meticulous craft of wood engraving but then confounds one’s expectations of what a wood engraver does. His engravings are uneasy, stark visions of unsettling landscapes traversed by trees denuded of leaves against an ordered but turbulent geometrically patterned sky with low wintry cold suns. The technique seems particularly appropriate for his commissioned illustrations for the Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Moby Dick both with their depictions of the claustrophobic rigging, storm tossed ships and dark stories. To learn more about Garrick Palmer’s approach to engraving read a recent article he wrote here.

His engravings are uneasy, stark  visions of unsettling landscapes traversed by trees denuded of leaves against an ordered but turbulent geometrically patterned sky with low wintry cold suns…

Other Work on Show
As well as ‘Garrick Palmer 60 Years of Art’ at Jack House Gallery Portsmouth City Museum have a number of Garrick Palmer artworks in their collection and to coincide with this show at Jack House Gallery they have a mounted a display of work dating right back to his time as a student in the 1950s. There will be a talk/discussion by Garrick & Curator of Art Susan Ward scheduled at the Museum.

A Conversation with Garrick Palmer
To complement both ‘Garrick Palmer 60 Years of Art’ and the museum’s exhibition by Garrick Palmer on Thursday 1st March from 4.30pm to 6pm you can see and hear Garrick Palmer discuss his work with Curator of Art Susan Ward at Portsmouth City Museum. Admission price is £3 or £1.80 with Leisure Card and will include a guided tour of the Garrick Palmer exhibition before the talk at 4.45pm. Places are limited and must be booked in advance. To book call 02392834744, or email: MuseumsVisitorServices@portsmouthcc.gov.uk for further information.

Website: jackhousegallery.co.uk
Facebook: facebook.com/jackhousegalleryfineart
Twitter: twitter.com/JackHouse
Instagram: instagram.com/jackhousegallery