Artist Profile
Stephen Palmer
After years of working in fused glass, I’ve been drawn to another unique form of art - wired wall sculptures. These frequently take the shape of fish made from old wooden crutches, paddles, and vintage objects that are then wrapped with wire. Each named creation has a unique form, features, and character. My first fish included saw blades for a mouth and screwdrivers for a fin. It won $1000 and third place in the 2011 Michigan Fine Arts Competition. Since then, my fish have won Second Place at Crooked Tree Arts Center, Second Place in mixed media at Coconut Grove Art Festival (2019, $1000 prize), Honorable Mentions, and other awards. They have continued to evolve and make their way into many homes and galleries.
I was born in Berkeley, California, and raised by a poet and a painter, so it was in my blood to become an artist. One of my earliest memories is of my mom painting by the ocean, using our car as an easel. Even though I have worked in a variety of materials, I came back to the ocean, frequently making mixed media fish.
My fish represent the ‘undoing’ of our environment and imbalance in our world, yet are friendly, accessible, and reconnect us to our past through the use of vintage objects - found and used again in art. My work is assembled, wired, and named.
Galleries
- A Mano Galleries, New Hope, PA & Lambertville, NJ
- Ariodante Gallery, New Orleans, LA
- Artworks, Big Rapids, MI
- Bell Street Gallery, LaPointe, WI
- Bennett Gallery, Knoxville, TN
- Carolina Creations, New Bern, SC
- Caza Sikes, Cincinnati, OH
- Creative Hands, Osterville, MA
- Crooked Tree Art Center, Petoskey, MI
- Fine Line Design Gallery, Ephraim, WI
- Good Goods, Saugatuck, MI
- Greenport Harbor Brewing Co, Peconic, NY
- Lansing Art Gallery, Lansing, MI
- Laughing Dog Gallery, Vero Beach, FL
- Michael-Mitchell, Charleston, SC
- Moondear & Friends Gallery, Boulder Junction, WI
- New Morning Gallery, Asheville, NC
- Poppy, Columbia, MO
- Romany Kramoris, Sag Harbor, NY
- Tamarack Gallery, Omena, MI
- Three Pines, Cross Village, MI
- Vale Craft Gallery, Chicago, IL