100
VICTORIA THRELFALL
I was introduced to the work of Samuel Palmer when
studying at Camberwell of Art and have always been drawn
to the dreamy. intensely poetic quality of Palmer's works,
their jewel-like luminous colours, glimmering light effects
and deeply spiritual sense of mystery. On a pilgrimage to
Shoreham in 2013, I was delighted to find that, despite 200
years having passed, there is still much about the Darent
Valley to enchant. I wanted to share my love of Palmer's
work and have been leading walks about Palmer since then,
and in 2018 created the Samuel Palmer Trail with DVLPS
(and Sarah Newman). Palmer has profoundly influenced
the way I look at things and that has affected both the way
I make paintings and what I want them to convey. Palmer
shared our concerns about the relationship of humans
with the natural world. He was an advocate for the neo-
Platonic ideal of man, God and nature in harmony, but was
aware and fearful of what was happening to rural ways and
the countryside in the wake of the industrial revolution. In
my painting 'Treasury' I allude to this by trying to combine
something of Palmer's lyrical and imaginative depiction of
nature with the harsher quality of the rusted steel surround,
an allusion to Palmer's deep concern about industrialisation
and its effect on rural life.
Treasury
Acrylic and oil on steel
60 x 60 cm
W W W . V I C T O R I A T H R E L F A L L . C O . U K
