Ann Parkin

Wall piece #6 - Made by Shadows #3

2022

Ann Parkin’s current work is an exploration of new possibilities in technique and materials, as well as the expression of a new imagery for art jewelry. Historically, art and particularly craft, have been vehicles for the symbols, images and visual metaphors of society’s current view of its world and the “nature” of which it finds itself a part. Discoveries and techniques at the leading edge of science have given us astounding views of new levels of nature and reality and have provided opportunities for the development of a new set of imagery and symbols for our time. Parkin’s work has been inspired by the vast visual potential of such scientific areas as electron microscopy, nuclear imaging, “Chaos” physics, and particularly subatomic particle physics. The graphic imagery of Parkin’s current work is not, in the traditional sense, abstract but rather is a representational view of nature that we are among the first generations to see. The images of the Particle Shower series are based upon the visual records of subatomic particle physics, which show the tracks left by subatomic particles as they pass through the bubble and cloud chambers once used by nuclear physicists. Parkin reflects that, “It has been said that Science is the Religion of the modern age. If that is even in part true, then it points the way to an exciting new approach to ornamentation and imagery that goes beyond the commonly observable surface reality to re-establish the fundamental role of art/craft - the articulation and expression of underlying patterns of the natural order as an integral aspect of our created personal environment.” Born in Toronto, Canada in 1956, Ann Parkin received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from New York University in 1978 and a Gemological Diploma from the Gemological Association of Great Britain in 1987. She studied metalwork, jewelry and enameling at the 92nd Street Y in New York City with renowned jewelry artists Robert Ebendorf, Rebekah Laskin, Charles Lewton-Brain and John Cogswell. Parkin’s work has appeared in group exhibitions, and as a featured artist, at Aaron Faber Gallery, NYC; Oms Gallery, NJ; Objects of Desire, Louisville, KY; Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston, MA; Newport Harbor Art Museum, Newport Beach, CA; New Jersey Designer Craftsmen Gallery, New Brunswick, NJ; Greater Denton Arts Council, Denton, TX; Artist-Craftsmen of New York, NYC; Crafts National 26, Penn State University, PA; The Farrell Collection, Washington, DC; Contemporary Crafts Gallery, Portland, OR; Views Gallery, Manayunk, PA; Sculpture to Wear, Los Angeles, CA; Craft Students League, NYC; Joan Michlin...

Ann Parkin’s current work is an exploration of new possibilities in technique and materials, as well as the expression of a new imagery for art jewelry. Historically, art and particularly craft, have been vehicles for the symbols, images and visual metaphors of society’s current view of its world and the “nature” of which it finds itself a part. Discoveries and techniques at the leading edge of science have given us astounding views of new levels of nature and reality and have provided opportunities for the development of a new set of imagery and symbols for our time. Parkin’s work has been inspired by the vast visual potential of such scientific areas as electron microscopy, nuclear imaging, “Chaos” physics, and particularly subatomic particle physics. The graphic imagery of Parkin’s current work is not, in the traditional sense, abstract but rather is a representational view of nature that we are among the first generations to see. The images of the Particle Shower series are based upon the visual records of subatomic particle physics, which show the tracks left by subatomic particles as they pass through the bubble and cloud chambers once used by nuclear physicists. Parkin reflects that, “It has been said that Science is the Religion of the modern age. If that is even in part true, then it points the way to an exciting new approach to ornamentation and imagery that goes beyond the commonly observable surface reality to re-establish the fundamental role of art/craft - the articulation and expression of underlying patterns of the natural order as an integral aspect of our created personal environment.” Born in Toronto, Canada in 1956, Ann Parkin received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from New York University in 1978 and a Gemological Diploma from the Gemological Association of Great Britain in 1987. She studied metalwork, jewelry and enameling at the 92nd Street Y in New York City with renowned jewelry artists Robert Ebendorf, Rebekah Laskin, Charles Lewton-Brain and John Cogswell. Parkin’s work has appeared in group exhibitions, and as a featured artist, at Aaron Faber Gallery, NYC; Oms Gallery, NJ; Objects of Desire, Louisville, KY; Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston, MA; Newport Harbor Art Museum, Newport Beach, CA; New Jersey Designer Craftsmen Gallery, New Brunswick, NJ; Greater Denton Arts Council, Denton, TX; Artist-Craftsmen of New York, NYC; Crafts National 26, Penn State University, PA; The Farrell Collection, Washington, DC; Contemporary Crafts Gallery, Portland, OR; Views Gallery, Manayunk, PA; Sculpture to Wear, Los Angeles, CA; Craft Students League, NYC; Joan Michlin...

OYV-19 is part of Eric Mack's ongoing body of work utilizing multi-media, complex compositions, and a grid centered around urban design. Using a grid to create the framework of the painting, Mack has re-purposed an old Lenny Kravitz album cover as the structure of the piece. On the edges of the piece you can see a complex edge consisting of a faux leather album cover, nylon mesh, and torn paper. As imagery, Mack has chosen musical notes, tape measure, and other music composition elements through Zerox copy adhered by matte medium to the surface. Mack then creates his own color to further tweak and personalize the piece. Eric Mack (b.1976, Charleston) creates mathematically based renderings with a distinct post-modern twist. Works are informed with super imposed grids, patterns, and portals. Layered surfaces are created with paint, found objects, natural fibers, and synthetic substrates that explore the systems of our visual world. His most recent show “Charting the Terrain” is on view now at the California African American Museum in Los Angeles was covered by the Los Angeles Times, KCRW, and LALA Magazine. His last solo exhibition was titled "Impossible Architectures" at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2017. Recent group shows include "Abstract Mind" at the Czong Institute of Contemporary Art, South Korea, "Small Works 2017 at Trestle Gallery, Brooklyn, "Checkered History", Outpost Artist Resources, Brooklyn, N.Y. 2015; Collections include High Museum Atlanta, Ing Investments, Hartsfield Jackson International Airport - Atlanta + Atlanta Gas & Light Co. Pepsi Cola, Tate Properties, Heath Gallery, Harold Dawson Properties, Turner Field/Atlanta Braves...

Barcelona native artist Raul de la Torre's vibrant abstract mixed media artworks pay homage to textiles. De La Torre allows the materials to take over during the process and collabor...