Featured Artist Jean Parker

Canadian artist Jean Parker paints unseen stories shaped by nature, emotion, and personal transformation. Enjoy her portfolio and see more by visiting her website.

 

 

I love to create. Change drives me and repetition bores me. I am intrigued by the colliding of forces and how that tension tries to resolve itself and the beauty that appears as a result, both in nature and with humans. Okay, that is mouthful but succinctly it is me, Jean Parker, the artist and the person. My art process is very similar to how I have taken on all my experiences in life.

 

 

I see an issue, a tension, an interplay of elements. I try to find the essence of why I am pulled to this scene, this issue by taking photos, looking at values, defining it, simplifying it, writing about it, looking for the interplay of colours, temperatures, structure etc. This stage can sit with me for a long time and I like it because I get to plan and reflect. Sometimes I have to push through the fear to step into the next stage of creating.

 

 

I create. I give myself permission to be in flow and just create. This is the judgement free zone. I get to explore movement, change, colours, texture. Dance with my own creativity. I love creating in layers for it creates mystery and a feeling of Interplay. And especially, I love creating on canvas, for it is flexible and it moves.

 

 

This stage is messy and if I judged it I would probably wouldn’t create. This stage is why I paint. I get to explore me below the surface, that creative force that is a sum of my experiences, my interconnectedness with others, my emotions, my soul. This stage is immediate, interactive and very rewarding.

 

 

I analyze and tweak. At this stage the painting and I are having a conversation. This stage can last a long time. I like it because I get to solve problems.

 

 

I share. I love this stage for it is a way to share my real self with others and let others step into my paintings and find their own stories. Just like painting is a journey of growing, risking and experimenting, so too is finding the audiences for my work. It is a quest of perseverance.

 

 

Just under five years ago, I stepped full-time into finding my style as an artist and expanding my skills as an artist, shifting from summer workshops to full-time mentorship. This matched my approach to learning, for I was able to select the mentors that would help me expand my skills the way I wanted. I was mentored by over 15 experienced, successful artists from a variety of styles and mediums. My “art college” experience.

 

 

I live in the mountains and prairies of Western Canada and on the ocean coastline in Eastern Canada. The duality of my land, sea and skyscapes drive my inspirations. My paintings reveal the impression of the story waiting for you to complete it. Thanks for stepping into my artist space with me.

 

Jean Parker invites you to follow on Instagram.

 

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