Renée Parker |
Who am I??
I am a woman who's had a preoccupation
with art, design, and creation, ever since I broke in my first box of crayons as a child.
From a young age, my heart danced at the sight of paper, pencils, clay, cardboard, and whatever other supplies I could get my hands on. I'm very blessed to have had parents and grandparents who fed this passion, partly by exemplifying the value of resourcefulness, but also by allowing me to see the world as wide open with possibilities. And, yes, also in money spent on art and craft supplies and books over the years.
"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up." -Pablo Picasso
I come from a family of creative people who pursue(d) a wide range of disciplines, some professionally. Some in theatre and film, some in music, and some in art & craft. Growing up, I was largely self-taught, and did my own experimenting with various disciplines. I didn't have oodles to spend on supplies, but my brother and I had a mother who regularly took us to the local library (pre-internet days), a place where I was able to get a taste of the world and art, and all the things there were to see and create, and to read how people were creating them. It was awesome and, I think, a major influence in fueling my artistic curiosity. I have great memories of the various disciplines I enjoyed and experimented with, and I love that those experiences have all added something to the work I do today. It wasn't until I attended a private arts college that I had formal education.
At the advice of highschool counselors and college guide books, I majored in graphic design, in an effort to find a way to make a living as a creative person. But it wasn't long before I understood that my passion would always lie in creating fine art & crafts with my hands.
Today I continue to enjoy working in and mixing up assorted creative media. Some of my favorites are watercolor, oil, papier mache, wire, wood, semi-precious stone, recycled materials. Add to that photography and digital enhancement, which allow me to expand and share the former, and you have my perfect storm. So, depending on the day, I could be sketching, sculpting, painting, making jewelry, reworking old things, taking photos, designing, and writing. And I love it. I almost always run out of day before I run out of energy and ideas. Isn't that the way passion works?
No comments:
Post a Comment