Born 1952 in Leeds, England
John A.Parks is a
painter currently represented by 532 Gallery Thomas Jaeckel in New York and by Paul Holoweski Fine Art in Michigan.
His work is in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Museum of the Rhode Island School of Design and
the Royal College of Art as well as many private collections. He has been a
member of the faculty of the School of Visual Arts, New York since 1979 where he has taught courses in drawing, realist painting, portrait painting and gouache techniques. In addition to showing
widely as a painter since the late seventies he has published many articles
on art and travel. Recent publications include an overview of the drawings of Raphael and an in-depth study of Turner's watercolors. He has also published many features on contemporary artists including Kara Walker, Lucien Freud, Wayne Thiebaud, David Beck, Ralph Goings, Philip Pearlstein and others. His November 2012 exhibition in New York at 532 Gallery was widely covered in the press, including a highly positive review from Roberta Smith in the New York Times.
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Education
1973 - 76
M.A.(R.C.A.)
in Painting, Royal College of Art. London, England.
1970 - 73
B.A. in Fine Art, Hull College of Art. Hull, England.
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Awards
National Endowment
for the Arts Grant.
1985
British Institute
Award for Figurative Painting.
1974
Scholarship to Skowhegan
School of Art, Maine.
1974.
Fullbright Travel
Grant.
1974
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Solo Exhibitions
2012
532 Gallery Thomas Jaeckel, New York
2008
Southern Vermont Arts Center, Manchester VT
2005
Allan Stone Gallery, New York
2005
Mabbettsville Gallery, New York
2002
Cricket Hill
Gallery, New York
2002
Paul Smith,
New York
1992
Coe Kerr Gallery,
New York.
1991
Louis Newman
Gallery, Beverly Hills.
1990
Coe Kerr Gallery,
New York.
1987
Allan Stone
Gallery, New York.
1984
Allan Stone
Gallery, New York.
1982
Allan Stone
Gallery, New York.
1979
Segal Gallery,
Boston.
1977
Allan Stone
Gallery, New York.
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Selected Group Exhibitions
2011
Made in the UK. Contemporary British Art from the Richard Brown Baker Collection
Museum of the Rhode Island School of Design.
2008
Chicago International Art Fair
2007
Art Basel Miami Beach
2006
Art Basel Miami Beach
2006
Armory Show, New York
2004
"Group" Allan Stone Gallery, New York
2000
"Forty Years" Allan Stone Gallery, New York.
2000
"New Realism"
Jenkins-Johnson Gallery, San Francisco.
1999
"Landscapes"
Allan Stone Gallery, New York. Exhibition including work by de Kooning, Wayne
Thiebaud, Franz Kline, Richard Estes and others.
1998
"London/Paris/New
York" at the Beadleston Gallery, New York. An exhibition of cityscapes
including work by Monet, Pissaro, Bonnard, Stuart Davis and others.
1996
Allan Stone
Gallery, New York.
1995
Allan Stone
Gallery.
1994
Hollis Taggart
Gallery, Washington DC.
1993
Gerold Wunderlich
Gallery, New York.
1988
Chicago International
Art Exposition.
1987
Duke University,
Durham, NC.
1983
Kornblee Gallery,
New York.
1972
Royal Academy,
London.
Collections
Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
Royal College of Art, London.
Oklahoma City Museum of Art.
Museum of the Rhode Island School of Design.
Numerous private collections.
Reviews and articles on the work
Arts Magazine, September and November 1978
New York Times. May 30th 1982. John Russell.
ArtSpeak. February 1984. "John Parks at Allan Stone."
American Artist. May 1992. Major article with reproductions by Jane Cottingham.
Pulse Magazine. June 2005. Interview
New York Sun. June 30th 2005. Review of the exhibition at Allan Stone Gallery
Passport Magazine. Winter 2005-6. Major article with reproductions.
New York Review of Books. Blog. November 20th, 2012.
New York Times. December 14th 2012. Review by Roberta Smith.
Illustrations, reproductions and commissions
Esquire Magazine, New York Magazine, CBS Records, Psychology Today, New York Times Magazine, Book-of-the-Month Club, Redbook, Grove Press, Viking Penguin, HBJ, Macmillan Publishing, etc.
Executed a major mural cycle in the Equitable Building in New York for The Judson Grill - 1994. The murals and a small exhibition of studies remain on permanent display.
Selected Writings
The World According to David Beck. Catalogue for exhibition at the Smithsonian National Museum of American Art, Washington DC. 1993.
Animated Sculpture: Combining the Absurd and Sublime. A feature article on the work of David Beck. American Artist Magazine. June 1994.
Five Parks Best Known to Neighbors. New York Times Travel Section on the lesser known public parks of London. July 10th. 1994.
The Face of Watercolor. Feature article on exhibition of contemporary American Portraits in watercolor mounted at the Arts Center, Old Forge New York.
Watercolor Magazine. Winter 1994.
Simplifying Form. Feature article on the work of Californian sculptress Gwynn Murrill. American Artist Magazine. March 1995.
Transforming Common Objects. Feature article on the work of the artist George Fischer. American Artist Magazine. June 1995.
In Pescara, Paradise under the Ombrellini. Travel essay on Italian beach life. New York Times. Travel Section. July 2nd 1995.
Moments of Danger. Feature article on the artist Lorraine Shemesh. American Artist Magazine. August 1995.
The Watercolors of Ralph Goings. Feature article on the work of the veteran super realist artist. Watercolor Magazine. Fall 1995.
Portraying the World as he Finds It: The Narrative Paintings of Andrew Raftery. Feature article on the work of Andrew Raftery. American Artist Magazine. September 1995.
The Sculpture of Louis Marinaro. Feature article on the work of the artist. American Artist Magazine. December 1997.
The Gouache Depths of Kathleen Toelke. Feature article on the gouache work of the artist. Watercolor Magazine. Summer 1998.
The Wacky World of Elwood Smith. Feature article on the illustrator and cartoonist. Watercolor Magazine. Winter 1998.
Training Illustrators: The View from the Trenches. The Education of the Illustrator. Edited by Steven Heller and Marshall Arisman. Allworth Press, 2000. 106 – 113.
Clive Head: Studies Deserving Studies. Article on the British realist artist Clive Head. American Artist Magazine. June 2002.
Paula Rego. Feature article on the work of the artist. American Artist Magazine. March 2003.
David Suter. Feature article on the illustrator. American Artist Magazine. January 2004.
Wayne Thiebaud: Drawings. Cover article on the artist Wayne Thiebaud. Drawing Magazine. Premier Issue. Fall 2003.
The Drawings of Lucien Freud. Major article surveying the artist’s work on paper. Drawing Magazine. Fall 2004.
A Peaceable Kingdom: The Paintings of R. Kenton Nelson. American Artist Magazine. February 2005.
Rough, Dirty, and Dangerous Pastels. Feature article on the work of Robert Barnes. American Artist Magazine. February 2005.
Richard Piloco: Painter of Quiet Moments. American Artist Magazine. July/August 2005.
Painting Stories. Feature article on the work of Susan Fleming Hotard. American Artist Magazine. July/August 2005.
Rubens Drawings. Feature length cover article surveying Rubens work on paper. Drawing Magazine. Spring 2005.
Cutting a Masterful Figure. Feature article on the artist Paul Oxborough. American Artist Magazine. Sept 2005.
Mikel Glass. Feature article on the artist’s work as a painter and sculptor. American Artist Magazine. Oct 2005.
Anatoly Dverin: Assessing Progress, Making Changes. Workshop Magazine. Winter 2005.
Jeffrey Weiss: Observe, Think, and Practice. Workshop Magazine. Winter 2005.
A Bold Approach. Feature on the work of Clayton J. Beck III. American Artist Magazine. December 2005.
A Modern Take on a Traditional Subject. Feature on the work of John Morra. American Artist Magazine. December 2005.
Luke Frazier: The Great Outdoors. American Artist Magazine. February 2006.
Light and Arcadia. Feature on the work of Joseph Kieffer. American Artist Magazine. February. 2006.
Winslow Homer: His Melancholy Truth. A major survey of the work of the great American painter. American Artist Magazine. July/August 2006.
Samuel Palmer. Feature article on the 19th century English Romantic painter Samuel Palmer. Watercolor Magazine. Spring 2006.
Poetry Outdoors: The Paintings of Daniel W. Pinkham. Feature Article. American Artist Magazine. March 2006.
Bill Anton: Cowboys and the Land. Feature article. American Artist Magazine. April 2006.
The Historically Rich Medium of Pastel. American Artist Magazine. May 2006.
The Golden Age of American Illustration. American Artist Magazine. June 2006.
Renoir’s Pastel Counterproofs. American Artist Magazine. June 2006.
Tablet and Pen: Islamic Drawings at the Arthur M. Sackler Museum. Drawing Magazine. Summer 2006.
Enjoying the Process. Feature on the work of Janet Walsh. Watercolor Magazine. Summer 2006.
Water-Based, not Watercolor. Watercolor Magazine. Summer 2006.
The Dark, Black Outline. Feature article on the work of Kara Walker. Drawing Magazine. Summer 2006.
Heavy Paint, Big Brushes and No Cleanup: The Paintings of Ken Auster. American Artist Magazine. October 2006.
Gene McInerney: The Delicate Engineer. American Artist Magazine. October 2006.
Painting the World as a Feast. Feature article on the work of Sarah Lamb. American Artist Magazine. October 2006.
Fact and Fantasy: The Paintings of James Gurney. American Artist Magazine. November 2006.
Edward Hopper’s Preliminary Drawings. Feature article. Drawing Magazine. Winter 2006.
Quietness and Power: The Paintings of Kate Lehman. American Artist Magazine. September 2006.
Tucker Smith: Adventurous Painting in the West. American Artist Magazine. September 2006.
James Tormey: Still Life and Context. American Artist Magazine. December 2006.
The Hidden Line: Underdrawings in Renaissance Painting. Drawing Magazine. Winter 2007.
Painting out of the Unknown. Watercolor Magazine. Winter 2007.
The Drawings of Alfonso Ossorio. Drawing Magazine. Spring 2007.
Space, Charcoal and the Mind of Charlotte Schultz. Drawing Magazine. Spring 2007.
James Woodside: Painting at the Ends of the Earth. American Artist Magazine. February 2007.
David Ahlsted: Simplicity and Life. American Artist Magazine. April 2007.
Warren Chang: Bringing the Past to the Present. American Artist Magazine. April 2007.
Adam Elsheimer: Rich and Magical Storytelling. Feature on the late sixteenth century German artist. American Artist Magazine. May 2007.
Ismael Checo: Color, Richness and Light. American Artist Magazine. June 2007.
John Beerman: Light, Restraint and Clarity. American Artist Magazine. June 2007.
John Ruskin and his Influence on American Art. Major article on the 19th century British critic. American Artist Magazine. June 2007.
Learning from the Masters: Whistler’s Mark. Major survey of the drawings of Whistler. Drawing Magazine. Summer 2007.
David Macaulay’s Adventure in Explanation. Drawing Magazine. Summer 2007.
Arranging Figures and Objects to Tell a Story. Feature on the work of Scott Moore. Watercolor Magazine. Summer 2007.
The Portrait as Illustration. Teaching as Illustration. Ed. Stephen Heller and Marshall Arisman. Allworth Press, 2007. 131-134.
Rembrandt at 400: The Painter in Context. Article on the landmark exhibition of Dutch painting at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. American Artist Magazine. November 2007.
In the Moment. Feature on the work of Stephanie Anderson. Watercolor Magazine. Winter 2008.
Allen Whiting: The Power of Authenticity. American Artist Magazine. January 2008.
Turner: The Great Painter of Light. Survey of the watercolors of J.M.W. Turner. American Artist Magazine. January 2008.
Naughty and Nice: Children’s Portraits. Article on exhibit of child portraiture from 1600 to 1850 at the Dulwich Picture Gallery, London. American Artist Magazine. February 2008.
Raphael and the Invention of the Sublime. An overview of the artist's drawings. Drawing Magazine. Winter 2009
Teaching
Teaching at the School of Visual Arts, New York, NY since 1979 as well as various visiting assignments. Courses taught have included advanced drawing, figure and portrait painting, gouache techniques, issues in realism. Other assignments have included organization of student exhibitions and supervision of graduate students. In 1999 taught a course on the history of composition at the New York Academy of Figurative Art.
Other Interests
Chess - achieved national A rating in the United States Chess Federation.
Swimming - Captain of Bard College Masters Swim Team.