Local Favorite Opens Major Show At Gingerbread Square

By C.S Gilbert

 

The first of Gingerbread Square Gallery’s major 2014 exhibitions will present new figurative and abstract architectural works by local favorite Michael A. Palmer, opening Monday, Jan. 6 with a reception from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. However, the show will be available for early viewing beginning the previous Sunday, gallery Director Jeffrey Birn announced in late December.

 

 

“Once again Gingerbread Square is pleased to welcome the work of Michael Palmer in an exhibit of his latest collection of acrylic and ink paintings on canvas,” Birn reported, adding that Palmer, a local who has lived and worked here for the last 32 years, spending summers in Maine, has exhibited professionally for 50 years and for a number of years has focused on life in the African-American community of Key West, centered in Bahama Village.

 

 

“Often his works depict rooftops, bird’s eye views of cityscapes or people going about their everyday business. The figurative African-American series depicts men, women and children as seen with the artist’s loving eye in their everyday lives—at a café, at the bus stop or outside of a church. From his life experiences, he has developed an understanding of the aesthetics of the African-American culture and is able to portray it in a very unique, sometimes whimsical, way,” Birn explained.

 

 

“I have also always admired the almost Zen approach to things many African-Americans have,” Palmer said, adding, “I guess my work in this show is somewhat regional, since I rarely exhibit tropical or figurative-inspired work anywhere else, since Key West and its residents hold such a special place in my heart that I can’t keep it from influencing my work here.”

 

 

The collections of “works shown in Key West are unique in their tropical flavor and are only exhibited here,” continued Birn. “In this latest collection viewers familiar with Palmer’s work will find many friendly subjects from past exhibits. In his Caribbean-inspired landscapes, there is evidence of Palmer’s strong architectural bent running through most of his work.”

 

 

Michael Palmer’s recent works have received much praise and serious attention by collectors and critics alike, Birn said. He is widely collected in this country and abroad, in museums as well as in private collections including those of “Bill Cosby, the Rockefeller family and William and Gertrude Mellon. He is listed in ‘Who’s Who in Art’ and has exhibited in many museums and fine art galleries throughout the United States and Canada.”

 

 

The Palmer exhibition continues through Monday, Jan. 13. Gingerbread Square Gallery is located “Uptown” at 1207 Duval Street in Old Town and is open 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Phone: 305-296-8900. The show can also be viewed on the gallery website at www.GingerbreadSquareGallery.com. Email: [email protected]

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