“ Someone comes into a show and they look around then get a little closer , then even closer , until they just
rtist , architect , and busy family man , Andrew Parker turns the mundane into something miraculous . As a multi-media artist , he builds his creations layer by layer , using everything from ink to egg cartons , to achieve amazingly detailed works that draw the viewer in . In fact , that is one of his artistic goals .
“ One of the things I try to do is play with scale . The piece looks different if you ’ re across the room versus being within a few feet or if you ’ re directly in front of it . That ’ s what I love : when someone comes into a show and they look around then get a little closer , then even closer , until they just really focus and get their noses close to the panel . Usually , because people realize that the circles are paper cutouts and meticulously glued on — that surprises them .”
His work requires and is worthy of such close inspection . Each piece starts with a half-inch grid upon which he builds a collage of various hole-punched sources that relate to the piece . He has used sources such as prominent novels , maps or historic images , and news articles or magazines on certain subjects . He ’ s even upcycled paper from such mundane sources as privacy envelopes , Kerrygold butter wrappers , and egg cartons . After that , he adds layers of ink pen-drawn circles . The circles are then filled with India ink before he moves into the painting portion of his creation where he adds more context and visual interest to what , to him , is essentially a timeline .
“ I kind of picture each grid as a day or a moment . So , each of the half-inch grid squares , like most days , is not particularly interesting . They are kind of repetitive , but each day , each circle has a little bit of information . A little bit of texture . So , when you apply that across years or decades it ’ s like thousands of circles and that ’ s when it becomes interesting .”
Something else Parker finds interesting is the color , texture , and pattern of mundane natural areas . He discovered this aspect while photographing such spaces and enjoys finding how different elements can either work together or clash . These interests inform his creative process and help build his architectural artistic timelines / paintings , many of which are currently on display .
“ As Darkness Goes ” Mixed media ( India ink , acrylic , paper collage , pen & ink ) on gessoed birch panel | 20 ” x 10 ” | 2022
“ Someone comes into a show and they look around then get a little closer , then even closer , until they just
really focus and get their noses close to the panel .”
10 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE
“ I have a solo show in the Helen South Gallery of the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture ( the M . A . C .)