Connect
To Top

Check out Mary Ellen Palmeri’s Artwork

Avatar photo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Ellen Palmeri.

Mary Ellen, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
Since childhood I’ve wanted to be an artist. Creating absorbs me like nothing else. The outside world melts away as I begin my art work – the enjoyment and creative challenges take hold and bring on a true inner peace.

After years spent learning painting, sculpting and collage techniques, my desire engaged with another focus, that of bringing those previous art skills into mastering the paper arts, which in many ways has become the main visual component in my art work today. While I am now often considered a Master Bookmaker and Paper Artist by others, and somewhat by myself, with an Origami specialty, it’s exciting that art making means I’ll never stop learning.

We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I often begin each major creation with research, drawing in various visual inspirations. For example, if I’m using origami elements, I select which models I want to use that I know, and hopefully what new ones I need to learn and develop. Then my focus shifts to decisions about the overall working concept, such as what support to use – canvas, board, paper, a combination of some or all of those, or something else entirely. Next, I begin working with color elements to see which will bring a certain emotion to the work, and whether to use acrylic paints, or inks, or maybe watercolors – or again a combination of those. Sizing origami units comes next, along with what kinds of paper to use: art papers with special finishes or textures, or I might decide to paint papers myself looking for unique colors.

When working, my hands are constantly restless, touching objects, feeling the different papers, handling folded models. My fingers actually do become extensions of my mind when I’m creating. Layout and design depend upon the size of the art piece, which varies from 5-by-7 inches to 5-by-4 feet. Those choices provide constant flux during the actual production time as I work, and the spirit of each individual art piece comes more fully into focus.

Artists face many challenges, but what do you feel is the most pressing among them?
For me as an artist it is quite a challenge balancing creativity and the production of artwork with the very different needs of marketing that artwork. The very different mind-set it takes to market makes it difficult to get back to the place where creativity flows.

Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
I often teach various art workshops around the greater Tucson area, for the Pima County Library System, Tucson Botanical Gardens, The Children’s Museum, the Sonoran Collective for Paper & Book Artists (Paperwork’s), Town of Marana, and various art galleries and retirement communities. I have been a featured artist at corporate events at locations such as the Westin Kierland Resort in Scottsdale, etc.

My work has shown at Tucson Pima Arts Council’s Pioneer Building exhibits, Dragonfly Gallery, Tohono Chul, Dinnerware Artspace, Toscana Gallery, Southern Arizona Arts Guild (SAAG), Bernal Gallery at Pima Community College, The Drawing Studio, etc… and nationally in Los Angeles, Oakland, Santa Fe, Rochester, NY et al. My art works have earned awards regionally and I’m especially proud that The University of Arizona purchased one of my artists’ books, “Rosie’s Night Fears”, for their Special Collections Library Permanent Collection.

I regularly participate in National and International origami events such as the Global call for origami elephants intended to bring attention to the plight of those animals being killed solely for ivory markets. I’m especially proud of an accomplishment back in 1995 when I recruited volunteers to fold 1000 Peace Cranes to send to the 50th Anniversary Commemoration of the Hiroshima Bombing. While many other groups participated worldwide, my group’s particular peace cranes were the only ones in the world received by the Hiroshima Peace Exhibit in which the wings were opened in the appropriate way to honor the victims for that peace celebration. In recognition, they sent me a special citation in a personal letter with photographs of my work hanging in the center of the Exhibit. I also founded Lyric Arts Folding Fest (LAFF), a free monthly group of paper folders that presently meets at Nanini branch library in Tucson.

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Mary Ellen Palmeri

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

Related Items

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in