about kristi

artist's statement

I am drawn to and compelled by the beauty of textures and patinas, and also to the human form and univeral human gestures. We as humans seem to understand and respond to a visual language of human gesture in a way that words do not touch. And, textures that seem to have been degraded by time, weather, and abrasion convey a sense of tactility and history.

In my work, I am engaged in exploration of those two domains, and how they intersect. I am consistently exploring and expanding my approach, using oils and cold wax medium. I vary my substrate preparation, mark-making, supplemental materials, and the techniques I use to selectively remove paint. Working this way allows me to explore the history of the layers I’ve created, to build textural elements, and to invite happy accidents.

  

artist's bio

Kristi Palmer studied photography and painting, first at Cornish College and then at the University of Washington in Seattle. Her BFA is in photography, and she made and exhibited photographs in a series called urbansurfaces over a decade or more. Those photographs share a visual relationship with today's paintings.

Kristi worked for a number of years in non-art fields, and in 2021 - after losing friends and family during the time of Covid - she decided it was time to return to making art. She now paints full time from her studio in Northwest Portland, Oregon.