Art. Life. Place. - A Blog

Haddock or Cod? Know Your Scrod
Life, Place Mike Palmer Life, Place Mike Palmer

Haddock or Cod? Know Your Scrod

“Waiter - I’ll have the baked scrod” And with those words uttered from restaurant to restaurant across the Commonwealth and beyond, the confusion began. Scrod isn’t a fish. Wait, what?

Well, it’s a fish - but it’s not a species of fish.

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Finding Balance
Life Mike Palmer Life Mike Palmer

Finding Balance

I took up the practice of rock stacking this summer. It started as a way to pass the time on those endless summer afternoons, but what I found was an extremely meditative practice that’s taught me a bit about life. This post highlights the lessons I’ve learned from stacking rocks.

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The Art of Practice
Art, Life Mike Palmer Art, Life Mike Palmer

The Art of Practice

When I sit down to work I focus on bringing projects from conception to completion, rarely deviating to explore new territory or simply sit and work on a technique. Lately I’ve been trying to force myself to take the time to just sit and practice the craft. It’s not a lot of time, maybe just 10 minutes on some days and an hour or more on others. Regardless of the time, the work is focussed on the exploration of technique, not on the quality of the final product. I’m only a few weeks into this, but I’m finding that it’s made me a better artist and opened up new avenues I wouldn’t have considered before. While I’ve found this process immensely helpful, it is still a struggle to find the time, and when I do, to just let go. It seems practice requires practice, too.

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Details
Art Mike Palmer Art Mike Palmer

Details

I often fall into the trap of focussing on the finished piece and how it will look on the wall, forgetting to spend time appreciating the detail work that goes into a piece. I spent time this past week revisiting some of my older pieces, looking at them up close, and reflecting back on the drawing process. Given that I’ve recently shared what my artwork looks like when you take a step back, I also wanted to give an up-close look. I thought others might appreciate this different perspective.

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The Telephone Pole Art of South Mashpee
Place, Art Mike Palmer Place, Art Mike Palmer

The Telephone Pole Art of South Mashpee

If you look carefully as you drive Red Brook and Great Neck South roads in South Mashpee you’ll notice that the telephone poles have become gallery space for art installations. Someone, somewhere knows something about the origins of the telephone art, but it isn’t me. I’m just a spectator and a fan. Recently I’ve noticed some of the older pieces are starting to disappear. Given the transient nature of the art, I wanted to attempt to preserve some lasting memory of this art.

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