
Ecstatic Earth at Kathryn Markel Fine Arts features new paintings by Marilla Palmer that merge observation and imagination. Inspired by Goethe and Maria Sibylla Merian, Palmer engages with the unpredictable beauty of nature—pressed petals, pollinators, shifting coral. Her collages combine natural elements and embellishments, reflecting a world transformed by human impact. The work captures fleeting ecstasy and hallucinatory wonder in a world where nature and artifice co-exist.