“Earthlings with whom we share this planet . . .”

Just out this month, EARTHLINGS: THE PAINTINGS OF TOM PALMORE (University of Oklahoma Press 2008), by Susan Hallsten McGarry and with a foreword by Adam Harris, is a compilation of the real, the surreal, and the stunning virtuosity of an artist who imaginatively approaches the complexity of nature in his work.

Tom Palmore emerged from the 1970s photorealist movement, using it as a springboard to reach far beyond its obvious parameters. It is amazing, of course, to be able to reproduce any of nature’s creations so clearly that viewers often remark, “It feels like you could touch that cougar’s nose.” But Palmore only pauses slightly at that level of perfection—he brings to his work a passion for those animal-kingdom dwellers that share our planet and extends his technical virtuosity to provide new ways of thinking about and seeing these other living beings. His juxtapositions of animals and settings are unexpected, sometimes humorous, always thought provoking.

This is the first book to record Palmore’s four-decade career. Author Susan Hallsten McGarry introduces us to the stories behind the paint, to the artist’s philosophy, process, and themes. McGarry, independent curator and author of numerous catalogs and monographs on American artists, was editor-in-chief of Southwest Art magazine from 1979 to 1997. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Adam Harris is curator of art at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson, Wyoming.

-- Rosemary Carstens

http://www.CarstensCommunications.com