Matthew Gray Palmer

Biography

Joining Surel’s Place from Washington state, Artist-in-Residence Matthew Gray Palmer embarked on a project different from his usual studio work involving larger-scale sculpture using stone, wood, and metal. During his time at Surel’s Place, Palmer had an ambitious goal: 100 drawings and 30 paintings, all created in less than a month! This shift in creative process, both materially and temporally, will allow Palmer to explore new ideas and gestures.

In a Boise Weekly article, Matthew Gray Palmer explained this approach, saying, “You get to this point where you start to exhaust the repetitive patterns that you rely on and get to discover some new information.” Palmer spent 12 days drawing using charcoal and neutral-toned pastels on paper and 12 days painting with acrylic and oil bars, having chosen these materials for their suitability with ‘free-flow inspiration.’

WORKSHOP
END RUN THE EGO: CREATIVITY IN ABUNDANT GENERATION

During the End Run the Ego: Creativity in Abundant Generation, Matthew Gray Palmer presented an exhibition of all he created during his residency (One month for 100 drawings and 30 paintings). In this workshop, along with early reflections about what the process was like and what possible directions are presented in the work. He then provided instruction on how to challenge yourself to do the same thing. This included a full instructional description of the exercise, its purpose and benefits, and an additional structured two hours to begin the exercise with materials and guidance towards establishing the parameters, should you decide to continue the exercise in your own time. All this, with the advantage of having the insights from someone who had just gone through it! 

Gallery