Sarah Palmer

Sarah was well known in Western Ontario’s art scene before moving to Belleville in 2021.  Since her move she has had solo shows at Melt Gallery, Quinte Arts Council, Parrott Art Gallery, and a duo show at Arts on Main Gallery.  She has has won awards at juried shows in Belleville and a major award at the Society of Canadian Artists’ 58th national juried exhibition.

Sarah received formal training in the arts at Trent University (BA), the Nova Scotia School of Fine Art and Design, and the George Brown College of Applied Arts and Technology. She worked as a graphic designer for many years and then had jobs as a gallery curator and arts educator/facilitator.  Eventually she became a support coordinator with the Canadian Mental Health Association. The CMHA position provided her with a living wage and gave her an opportunity to help people in need, while also allowing her to paint every morning.

Sarah is a founding member of Art Ignotum, an organization that promotes artists who create challenging art. Find out more about Sarah at artignotum.com. The site has examples of Sarah’s paintings, drawings and sketches, and articles about Sarah and German Expressionism.

You can also see Sarah’s work on Instagram: @sarahpalmerartist52.

Artist Statement 

My art is challenging. I illustrate life’s difficult moments using the grotesque characters of German Expressionism tempered by the bright colours and whimsical icons of Latin American Magic Realism.

You can feel what my characters feel when you look at the anxious expressions in their eyes and the distorted and exaggerated features of their bodies.

I plan my paintings meticulously but keep my characters fresh and fluid by basing them on my expressive sketches.

The titles of my paintings and drawings suggest the kinds of moments I depict in my art: Skaters on Thin Ice, Coming Out, Sisyphus, Cuckolded, and Living in a Fish Bowl.

• sarahpalmerartist52

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