By Katelyn Needham/ managing editor
Photos by Bogdan Sierra Miranda /The Collegian
SE Campus is displaying 1980s pop culture-inspired pieces, filled with bright colors and interesting shapes in its Art Corridor II.
Guest artist Adam Palmer has lent 10 years of artwork for the Adam Palmer: Drawings and Paintings exhibit on display until Dec. 10.
“I think [Palmer’s] artwork is really beautiful and challenging,” curator and instructional assistant Christopher Blay said. “The work is very complex and also very personal. It’s a strong body of work that he’s worked on for at least 10 years.”
Palmer‘s main inspirations behind the pieces were ’80s television and video games.
“I grew up in the ’80s before the TV blew up,” Palmer said. “So MTV and Nickelodeon and Nintendo are big influences on me and my work. I grew up in West Texas, and there wasn’t much color there. It’s all very flat. The shows showed me color, and, in a big way, cartoons were my first exposure to art.”
His exhibit includes bright colors and shapes evident in pieces like “Sandhills” and “Misguided Comic Strip.”
“I felt like it was really modernized. I like the titles and thought that was intriguing,” SE student Aleecia Scott said. “His artwork isn’t really that cookie-cutter. It’s not like of a dog or a tree. It’s very abstract. What you gain from it is a sense of wonder and curiosity. Every time you look at it, you see something new.”
Palmer also uses several different types of media with his work, like mixed media on paper and screen printing.
“Hopefully, they see his expertise over a period of time and can learn from that,” Blay said. “I want it to encourage students to stick with art.”
Palmer teaches high school students in Crowley, but he used to teach art classes on NW.
“I always wanted to teach,” he said. “The art program wasn’t the greatest at my high school. The teachers had the passion but didn’t know how to convey that to the students. It wasn’t until college that I took a class and was introduced to new artists, new styles and really learned about art. I wanted to do that for my students.”
Palmer’s goal is to inspire the audience.
“I try to convey happiness with the colors I use, especially now,” he said. “I try to appeal to young people and adults and show them the fun aspects of life. I want them to get a deeper sense of art, and I want people to be inspired to go out and create their own art. I love to influence other people.”
