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Frank Palmer was born in Calgary, Alberta on November 24, 1921. Palmer’s artistic career began after 1945, after he had served five years with the Royal Canadian Armed Forces. Palmer was an advertising consultant and a free-lance commercial artist in Calgary prior to becoming an instructor at the Alberta College of Art in 1958, where he taught for 23 years. Palmer studied at the Ontario School of Art, the Vancouver School of Art, and the Art Centre School in Los Angeles. Palmer’s work is comprised of oil, watercolour, and abstract paintings. He is known for his abstract realist works, which capture the expression of forms and textures from natural surfaces, such as rocks and seascapes. This technique resulted in inspired abstract paintings. Several artists, including, A. Y. Jackson, Maxwell Bates, and W. J. Phillips, encouraged Palmer along his artistic journey. W. J. Phillips nominated Palmer to become a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, which he received in 1959. Palmer also received the Jessie Dow Prize for watercolours at the 1954 Montreal Spring Exhibition. Palmer was also a member of the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour and the Alberta Society of Artists. Palmer’s works have been exhibited across Canada, at galleries such as: the University of Calgary, the National Gallery, and The Royal Canadian Academy. Today, Palmer’s artworks reside in both public and private collections.
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