American
B. 1945
Bernard Palchick is both an accomplished watercolorist and oil painter and works in a variety of styles, including abstraction and magic realism. After obtaining his Bachelor of Arts at Purdue University, and his Masters of Fine Arts at the Rhode Island School of Design, Palchick began his career as a professor of art at Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo, MI. Over the next few decades, he served in various positions there, including Chair of the Art Department, Acting Provost, and Acting President. During his career he has exhibited extensively, including shows at the Springfield (MO) Art Museum, Kalamazoo College, and at numerous private galleries across the US. He is represented in numerous public and private collections, including that of A T & T in Chicago, IL and the Kalamazoo Institute of Art.
"I want these paintings to draw the observer into the world of the painting to discover the magical beauty in the details and to invent their own myths and rituals suggested by the imagery."
Palchick relies on, and derives great joy from the direct observation of nature, and the celebration of beauty found in the smallest of details. The observable world- the vastness of landscapes, the structure of a mountain, the feather pattern of a bird’s wing, the play of light on translucent glass- these are all some of his muse’s. Palchick enjoys paintings from direct observation, considering it an energizing process of comprehension, and of being mesmerized by the subject. Ideas about myth and ritual serve as a core concept of the imagery in his paintings. His choice of objects along with their odd juxtapositions are attempts to playfully answer questions about the magic of things- trees, rocks, string, marbles, mountains, clouds. Through his work, Palchick strives to draw the observer into the world of the painting to discover beauty in the details, and invent their own myths and rituals suggested by the imagery.