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Jessica Palmer MSDC

Paper & Artist Books

About Jessica
Jessica's art centres on experimenting with cut paper in collage, painting and mixed media; in real and imaginary landscapes. She has developed her expertise over 18 years of teaching, making large paper cuts (including ‘life-story’ projects for clients), designs for large scale exhibitions in both the UK and USA. Paper objects in 3D involving the manipulation of her material in a variety of ways are also a signature for her; as are artist book preparations for exhibitions. She is the author of The Art of Papercutting (Search Press 2015).
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Jessica's current focus is on wetlands and spaces where water and skies interact, as well as on meadows and wildflowers. She is engaged in drawing attention to endangerment and the challenges posed to wild spaces by human activity.

Her work evokes the mood and atmosphere, weather and skies, flora and fauna of marshes and meadowlands. Her recent exhibition at the Victoria Art Gallery in Bath was entitled Wetland Spring. Her current work The Running Hares is featured in the RWA's 2024 Open Exhibition in Bristol.

Her approach to mixed media - watercolour, paper collage and cut paper - evolved through the pandemic years. In finding the theme of wetlands - both urban and rural - she has been developing a relationship with the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, and growing her understanding of the important environmental contribution wetland spaces make to carbon capture.

In her work as an illustrator, she has designed numerous books, most recently The Book Of Snow, a poetry collection by Robert Seatter with cut-outs, collages and 3D collographs. Her first ever book cover was a papercut of Spartacus on horseback for The Spartacus War by Barry Strauss ( Phoenix). She is in-house illustrator for English Heritage; bringing humour and personality to characters and moments from history. In 2015 she drew a giant Winter Tangled Forest –12 feet high, displayed on glass – for the Holburne Museum in Bath.

She is the author of The Art of Papercutting (Search Press) a monograph on her paper art work drawn from over seven years. She has also drawn five colouring books; one of which was a worldwide best seller.

Jessica has been a visiting artist and run art events at, among others, The Wallace Collection, Sir John Soane Museum, British Museum, Victoria & Albert Museum, Hampton Court Palace, Arnolfini Gallery, Dulwich Picture Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Museum of London and Royal West of England Academy as a Bristol Drawing School tutor. She has been a guest artist at Bath University's The Edge centre, teaching her course for the intrepid – 'Drawing Life with a Knife'.

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Education

  • MA Illustration 2008 (Kingston University)

Exhibitions and commissions

2024

  • RWA OPEN, Royal West of England Academy September - January 2025
  • MY SUMMER OPEN STUDIO, 7 St Mark's Road, Bath
  • Art in Bloom, Liberation Art Gallery, Brighton

2023

  • Summertime, Freshford Galleries
  • Bath Society of Artists, Victoria Art Gallery
  • Wetland Spring, Victoria Art Gallery

2022

  • Summer Exhibition, Atelier Brighton
  • Waterfields Show, The Other Art Fair, London

2021

  • London Wetland Centre, London
  • In the Meanwhile, Bath
  • Re-imagining Nature, Somerset Art Works
  • The Cutting Edge, Matisse and Contemporary Paper Artists, Penrith
  • In Pursuit of Spring, Black Swan Arts
  • Independent Bath, painting display at RUH, Bath
  • Why Do Objects Matter, paper sculptures for Stourhead National Trust

2020

  • Bath City Farm, collage celebrating 25th anniversary, Bath

2019

  • Paper Play, Thelma Hulbert Gallery, Devon
  • Forest of the Future Window Mural for Forest of Imagination, Holburne Museum, Bath Floral Collages, The Compton Gallery, Gloucestershire
  • Paper Garden, The Garden Museum, London

2018

  • Paper Maze for the Forest of Imagination, Bath Riverside open air
  • Mr B’s Reading Tree exhibit and residency, Bath
  • Roots & Herbs exhibit, Chandos, Bath

2017

  • Giant Spider Mama for the Forest of Imagination
  • Mrs Henry Lyte and a Paper Garden for Lytes Carey NT

2016

  • Orlando-inspired Tudor Paper Ruff pieces for Burberry’s The Makers’ House exhibit London
  • Tyntesfield Paper Tree for the Forest of Imagination, Bath
  • Bluebeard Inked Cut-outs for the Everhart Museum, USA
  • Connect the Dots – a giant cutout for the Jamestown Art Centre, USA

2015

  • Exhibitor of Lunar Tales paper cut for the MEAA Lunar New Year
  • Window display of The 12 Dancing Princesses for Jessica Charleston Couture Giant Tangled Forest Drawn Installation for the Holburne Museum, Bath

2014

  • Exhibitor in Paper Made at the Jamestown Art Centre, Rhode Island USA
  • Exhibitor of paper wigs in The New Georgians at Orleans House Gallery Richmond, UK
  • Featured Artist and maker of the Paper Tiger Gate for the Forest of Imagination, Bath, UK
  • Exhibition of cut paper work at The Chagford Inn, Devon, UK
  • Featured Artist in First Cut paper exhibition at Tudor House Museum, Southampton, UK,
  • Guest Artist at Thelma Hulbert Gallery, Devon on Into Lace exhibition events
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