Artist profile: Molly Palmer

1:47pm Tuesday 26th August 2008

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Ahead of Molly Palmer's Utrophia exhibition, Kerry Ann Eustice gets to know the artist

What are you working on at the moment?

I'm currently in residence at Utrophia. I've being working with Utrophia for a couple of years. We have the common aim to bring art back to a hand-made level. I've just finished a couple of paintings, one of a lady in a labcoat and a lady in scoutesque clothing on cup phones with their fingers on buttons, one holding a beach ball and the other holding the world. Other things? I've got one silly one of a toothpaste rainbow, bridge of teeth and a sea of mouthwash.

How would you describe your style?

I paint in acrylics and the style is quite difficult to pin down. But I'm influenced by artists such as MC Escher. So my work features geometric shapes, odd perspectives and is brightly coloured. Some of my paintings have humourous, dreamlike quality. I'm also influenced by literature; JG Ballard and sci-fi writers such as Kurt Vonnegut.

I'm often get drawn in by certain characters. I draw them over and over again and start to know them, I end up naming them. Recurring features, I'm quite interested in that.

Do you find inspiration locally?

Definitely, all the time. I saw some trees near my house and something about them reminded me about the insides of lungs. I liked the symbol and have worked it into an old- fashioned portrait where subjects are showing off their lung with a tree in the background.

Key for Future Door at Utrophia, Tanners Hill, Deptford. Sep 4 to Sep 28.