WHEN TWO PARALLEL LINES MEET

Weston James Palmer is a rising Los Angeles-based artist with a focus on photography, painting, drawing, and time-based media. His work can be best distinguished by his statement palette “Sexhue” – a solid colour or a mix of pinks, purples, blues, and orangish hues. I asked Weston some rather drilling, personal questions about his work – here’s what he had to say:

Could you give a little synopsis as to what these works mean to you?

Everything feels to somehow be on a parallel path…But I have learned you can change the paths if you understand the right calculations, for better or for worse.

You describe the series as our experience with love – was there an event that triggered you to start creating this series?

My friend _________ fell in love with a girl. He manipulated his path. He manipulated her path. Love was blind and refused to see the bumps in a road. They weren’t just any bumps…yet a bump to no return…forever. Call it love or call it a manipulation. Two got married and figured out what divorce was like. 2 years later papers have not been signed. An inspiration to work.

It seemed like Change of Course was particularly hard for you to capture, do you wanna talk about the security guard?

When taking a photograph, you have to do what you got to do. Time was running out… security was up close and personal. Deaf seemed to be the trait of the moment. We jumped in the car to leave…Being blocked in by another car didn’t feel so good. I was asked to delete. There is a first time for everything…just like it was the first time to use the camera…now you see the deleted.

This was a project you started two years ago – how do you think your perception of love has matured since its completion?

It’s identical, like two peas in a pod…Only this time I love her more.

Your body of work has a distinct color palette that you’ve coined “Sexhue.” What makes you gravitate towards these shades?

If you like the color, so do I. It’s pretty interesting thing to like what she likes and what he likes… I sometimes like it because you might think it’s gay … Who’s to say what color sounds like or smells like. These shades go together, more than others. I prefer black and white…but when they have color, it’s magic.

If there’s something you wish each person could take or understand about your work, what would it be?

How many feelings do you go through in life? About 52 or is it 53….they all can see, don’t hide. If you hide we can see anyways. So look harder or hide harder…which one?? Actually, there is a story, but don’t write.

What’s been inspiring you lately?

Serious selfies walking down the street. The understanding of not understanding…remember 20 years from now….hahahaha My car has no steering wheel, you used to use a phone???

So Weston, what happens when two parallel lines meet?

An intersection between sound and image…feeling comes without touch…a tear behind the eye. Yes, that one, I’ll take that one, but you can never get it… So you yearn, not just for a while, but forever. Stop, wake up…really wake up. I know it’s in you.

Interview / Keefe Tiu
Location / Los Angeles