“ Part of what I like about creating multiple pieces of abstract work is the challenge of figuring out how to embed meaning and concept while still making it visually intriguing .”
Morphosis Architecture ; artist Joan Mitchell who passed away in 1992 and is known for her landscape-based abstract expressionism ; and both Mark Bradford and Julie Mehretu . He has traveled specifically to see their work and finds the level of complexity , social issues represented , and historical context quite fascinating .
Parker himself achieves that complexity through attention to detail and taking the time to consider what he ’ s doing . According to Andrew , half of his time on a piece is spent making the circles and gluing hole punches across the grid .
“ On one hand it ’ s time-consuming , but on the other , it is consistent and predictable . Plus , there ’ s a clear end goal . But when I start to add the dynamic irregular elements , the pace of the painting slows considerably because I don ’ t want to mess it up . So , I ’ ll add an element and then just sit with it for a long time . This is why I work on multiple pieces at a time . I ’ ve got several drawers housing pieces in various stages of completion .
“ Rock Crab ” Mixed media ( India ink , acrylic , paper collage , pen & ink ) on cotton illustration board | 15 ” x 20 ” | 2021
“ Twilight Romance ”
for graduate school it was great to be in a bigger city environment . I went to the Menil Collection all the time and the Houston Museum of Fine Arts . I would travel to Dallas and Fort Worth for their museums and the natural sculpture garden .
“ One of my professors , Marta Rodriguez , really pushed me to think abstractly and conceptually through architecture . It was in those studios I made a lot of abstract sculptures , drawings , and paintings which helped me transition from representational work to more abstract work . Now , living in Spokane , I try to think about the relationship between the contemporary Western identity of the Pacific Northwest and how it ’ s so rooted in both urban places and wilderness , which is so complicated . So , I want to bring some of that complexity into my work .”
Beyond Marta Rodriguez , Parker also finds inspiration through other artists and architects such as Tom Mayne , founder of
“ Part of what I like about creating multiple pieces of abstract work is the challenge of figuring out how to embed meaning and concept while still making it visually intriguing . So , through experimentation , I might try something in one painting and find that solves an issue in another painting .”
“ Part of what I like about creating multiple pieces of abstract work is the challenge of figuring out how to embed meaning and concept while still making it visually intriguing .”
Parker ’ s experimentation and skill have served him well by winning him a spot in his first-ever exhibition in a juried show in 2021 .
“ I submitted three pieces and they all got accepted . They were 22x30-inch pieces on watercolor paper framed in glass and they were all well received . That show garnered interest in my work , and I was able to get my first solo show in 2022 at a local ( Spokane )
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