Art & Life with Parker Moon

Today we’d like to introduce you to Parker Moon.

Parker, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I grew up in the rural Texas panhandle in a conservative environment. I had a great childhood but I always knew I had something unique about my perspective and how I reacted to the world. I was fascinated by “aesthetics” in general. I was curious about why do things look the way they do. Possibly my favorite epiphany in life was when I realized almost anything could be designed to be beautiful. On the wall in my grandmother’s house was this early 1960’s “Starburst” style wall clock made by Welby. I was so impressed that someone made a simple clock into something that served the same purpose but could now also be something beautiful to look at. The influence of its beauty strong enough that it almost outweighs the functional need. With a clock so beautiful would you take it down forever if it stopped working? My grandmother didn’t. I consider that clock and its influence as the beginning of my life passion for making things beautiful and why I found my way towards working in Interior Design. I had never painted seriously at all until I was 28 years old. I was at my friends one evening and she asked if I would like to paint while we drank some wine and I was actually apprehensive. I didn’t think I had anything to say in color on a canvas. What would I paint? She splattered some acrylic yellow Ochre onto a canvas and handed it to me along with some brushes and paint tubes and said “just see what happens”. Well what happened is my entire life changed, I haven’t put the brushes down since. I think a lot of artists have dark corners where they pull from personal struggle and pain to give their art a voice. I am no different, I just never really acknowledged before that I have quite a laundry list of personal tragedy and dark corners of my own. I was reaching a point in life where even interior design was unfulfilling for me because accommodating clients tastes and desire were coming at the cost of my own influence and creativity. With painting I get the feeling of truly creating something but simultaneously it is a visual manifestation of my deepest feelings and letting them out as something that can live on and be appreciated by others is just all I need to know that this is exactly what I’m supposed to be doing. That feeling I had when I was a kid of being a little different is my artistic soul that won’t be silent.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I paint what would be classified as contemporary Abstract Expressionism. I would define it as an art style where the artist manifests their human emotion and feeling into a physical visual work of art. I am very passionate about this painting style because it is often misunderstood outside of the art community and underappreciated. I once heard someone say about a Jackson Pollock piece, “what does it mean though? It’s just paints splatters”. I think many people come up to abstract artwork looking to “find something”. “I see an elephant holding a flashlight!” – they might say. I am always eager to hear the funny things people see and I don’t take offense too it at all but I do think it’s important to introduce people to the purpose of the art style at that point because they always seem to suddenly appreciate it even more, even if they understand what they are looking at less. When you look at abstract work and take it in overall, you feel a mood.

Abstract paintings are like environments. They have a vibe. When it comes to my own work, I am very much feeding the canvas my internal vibes. I don’t plan them, I just walk up and let my heart speak. I am a very emotional person and I connect with abstract aspects of the world around us deeply. For example, I love electronic down tempo music without lyrics and as I listen It often takes over my mind as the soundtrack to a personal past memory or fantasy about the future. Usually it is enough to move me to tears if it goes dark. This is how I feel about my work. I have many times in the studio where if someone walked in they would rush over and ask if I’m alright as I’m sobbing loudly and blending deep blue into greens on a canvas like a crazy person! Much of my work is produced in my hardest times, of which there have been many, but I don’t think that my work is dark always. What I want is to create something beautiful to leave for the world to look at over and over and enjoy and interpret for themselves. What happier ending could I ask for each time I go through a hard experience?

How do you think about success, as an artist, and what do quality do you feel is most helpful?
I ultimately define success, at least to me as personal fulfillment. I paint for what it does for my soul. I do it for what it releases, not what it brings me. It really was never an idea to be an “artist” or successful as a painter professionally. It has just sort of happened. People reacted to my work and I followed those reactions by happily sharing it until I heard others call me an artist enough times that I finally acknowledged it too myself. I am highly self-critical as most artists are and just allowing myself to qualify in my mind as ” an artist ” was a big personal success. I take myself much more seriously since then.

I think something that is essential to being an artist who sees any level of success is taking it seriously. You may never think your work is the best and be critical of it, but you should still think it’s good. To me this is way more difficult than figuring out how to make money doing art.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I am currently rebuilding my website, but it will still be at the same web address. Parkermoondesigns.com
I am about to open an online store where you can purchase fine prints of my original work as well! This is very exciting!! I recently moved my work out of a gallery in The Heights to a gallery in my hometown of Amarillo, TX for a showcase and month-long artist featuring. I am always looking for places in the Houston area to show my work as I am constantly creating. I hope to have a special collection I’ve been working on done and ready to be showcased by Christmas.

I also am active on Instagram @Parker_Moon_Designs. I am available for commissioned original work as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: Parkermoondesigns.com
• Phone: 806-570-9499
• Email: Parkermoondesign@gmail.com
• Instagram: Parker_Moon_Designs

Image Credit:
Parker Moon

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