“There is a deep magic rooted here,” Eleanor Palmer says of Western North Carolina. Born and raised in Hendersonville, Palmer spent her childhood collecting stones, drawing pictures in the loamy soil, and taking hundreds of photographs of the same subject: a mud puddle, a gold-tinged oak leaf, a storm cloud bruised purple. Today, she creates large abstract paintings using bold, intuitive brushstrokes. However, the mountain environs still play an important role in her creative process. “My work is often inspired by natural elements, both micro and macro,” says Palmer. “I am fascinated with the textures, colors, and movements within nature as well as the overwhelmingly vast emotions that arise when we are directly confronted with its power.” One of Palmer’s latest pieces, “Sacred Story,” seeks to capture the “rush of water across the stillness of an ancient stone.” It’s a narrative about overcoming, says Palmer. “A story we have all been part of at some point, and a story we will find ourselves within again.” This April, “Sacred Story” will be featured at ArtFields — a nine-day competition that awards more than $100,000 to creatives from across the Southeast. Palmer is one of only 400 creatives invited to the event in Lake City, South Carolina.
Eleanor Palmer, Hendersonville, eleanorpalmer.com. To learn more about ArtFields, visit artfieldssc.org.