Employing paint to create the illusion of substance and/or dimensions is an approach artists have used since ancient times. The method eventually came to be called trompe l'oeil, a French term that translates literally as 'tricking the eye.' It involves simulating the textures and hues of materials that were not always available to artisans, as well as manipulating perspective and proportion on a flat surface to give it a three-dimensional appearance.


Cutout trompe l'oeil animal chairs. Oil on wood 60" H. approx.

 
Trompe l'oeil proved to be an ideal stage for craftsmen and painters to show off their artistry, a reality that continues to this day. … Two of the most accomplished artists working in this vein today are Pamela Silin-Palmer and Karen Kariya, close friends who started working together in the mid-seventies in a studio in Berkeley, California. This was at a time when 'no one else was doing any decorative painting,' says Silin-Palmer, who named their joint studio Faunus after the Roman word for Pan because "many of the characters I was painting were mythological" she explains.


Painted chest. Oil on wood 14" x23" x14"
Pamela Silin-Palmer is an intellectual 'Renaissance woman' at heart, who studied English literature and is a published poet. She is also a prolific and imaginative artist who has spawned a substantial body of intricate, lavish and innovative pieces that all employ various aspects of trompe l'oeil.


Painted chest. Oil on wood 14" x 23" x 14"

Text © 1997 Lisa Skolnik


Pamela Silin Palmer © 1997- 2004, All Rights Reserved