Free Spirit

"Free Spirit," by Austin Palmer-Smith will be showing online at Venvi Art Gallery -- Viewing Room from June 4 – July 25, 2021.

The elusive and hypnotic reflection of glittering light on water’s surface is captured in the brilliant paintings of the gallery's newest online showing, "Free Spirit" by Austin Palmer-Smith. He brings forth the meditative state and tranquility one might feel while looking out over a vast seascape.

Working from a deep place of knowing and trust, Austin relies on mostly intuition to create these works of art. While humans venture to Mars, most of the ocean is still unexplored. A giant mystery lingering on our home planet. These water paintings are expressions of hidden worlds within us all. Depths we really cannot comprehend and can only imagine, accept, and appreciate.

Palmer-Smith was born in Paris where his mother was a model and father a fashion photographer. After studying painting under Lawrence Gipe at the University of California Santa Barbara he returned to New York to paint murals for the A List interior designers and their clients (Oprah Winfrey, Harrison Ford, Kim Cattrell to name drop a few) and produce a beautiful body of work. The artist felt at home painting murals. He says, give him “an excuse to paint an enormous painting and [he] will be happy.”

Inspiration is a painting in the show that really represents the body of work well. The highly contrasted colors and disorderly patterns of waves evoke a poetic sensation. There’s humility knowing we are all merely a drop in the ocean, a fleeting wave in time and space.

Palmer-Smith thanks Manhattan for most of his artistic inspiration. For a while, he practically lived at the Metropolitan Museum of Art with his sketchbook, absorbing and drawing from the great works throughout the ages. Vincent Van Gogh and John Singer Sargent are a couple of the artist’s heroes and Palmer-Smith adopted their emphasis on the importance of drawing and sketching from life.

If you ever were to spot Palmer-Smith in New York City, there is a good chance he would be sketching, “whether waiting for the bus, on the train or on the street, observing the seemingly limitless flow of forms and humanity,” in the words of the artist himself.

"Free Spirit will be Palmer-Smith’s first show with Venvi Art Gallery. It will be available from June 4 to July 25, 2021 and the public can purchase his artwork directly from Venvi’s website by visiting the online viewing room.