Sarah Parker – Artist
Sarah Parker is an Artist from Stanwell Park. Northern Illawarra. N.S.W. and has been been making art most of her life. She has been exhibiting professionally for about twenty years, you can find here website here… www.sarahparker.com.au
What are the main medium/s you work in…
I paint acrylic on canvas and always have a sculpture on the go.
Does your work have social, political, cultural and or personal messages?
I approach my work with a personal narrative, bearing in mind that this is my trigger, and hopefully the viewer will respond to my images in their own emotional context. I have in the past dealt with a series of works about the feminine and memory, and in recent years my work has been about nurture. I’ve been painting the horse and bird image for the last couple of years, which I use as a symbol of the mother.
What are you currently working on?
I have a show this year October the 23rd- 25th at Villa Alba Museum, a historic house in Kew, Melbourne. This new series is inspired by the museum and matriarchal imagery.
What fascinates you?
Spaces fascinate me. I am intrigued by people’s houses. Landscapes inspire me. I enjoy visiting homes and looking at keepsakes people display. It’s remarkable how much space changes with personalities.
One word or statement to describe your current works?
Gentle.
Why are you an artist?
It was never a question to be anything else.
How did you get into art?
Art has always been in my life, so it’s difficult to pin point the moment. I come from a large family of seven children; creativity has always been part of my life. Artefacts from New Guinea and other countries my parents travelled filled our house. When my older sisters went to uni, they’d bring home poets, musicians, writers and artists and sit them at the kitchen table. I spent school holidays at drama workshops or art workshops. I was kept busy as a child creating. When I was about 6 or 7 I was forever being sent to “The Naughty chair”. Mum believed this was a progressive way to parent my misdemeanours. The point was for me to spend time thinking about my behaviour on the chair and hopefully apologise and behave. I was to be left alone. Once on The Naughty chair I became comforted by this new silence and space. I’d end up completely entranced by Arthur Boyd’s print we had hanging on the wall. I’d stare into the painting and imagine playing in his landscape. I’d get lost in that painting and completely forget why I was naughty. I was in the chair quite a bit as a child as I realised if I sat there the rest of the family would leave me alone. It was rare for me to have such a personal space with three brothers and three sisters to contend with. Arthur Boyd’s painting taught me to sit, be quiet and dream. .
Your art education was…?
I left school in year 11 and went to R.M.I.T. I had to fight my way into art education. My family wanted me to do H.S.C. but I was convinced I didn’t need it. I did the T.O.P applied arts program, and continued to study sculpture at R.M.I.T. I moved to Sydney and studied painting at The National Art School.
The craziest thing you did at art school was…
left before I finished.
Was your education helpful, or a hindrance?
I loved art school. I loved meeting like minded people. I enjoyed the cross section of students, and loved how the world just miraculously opened its glorious gates of possibilities. I was in heaven.
What did you do before or during becoming an artist?
I worked at a few Art galleries and was involved with artist run projects while I was studying and in the early years. I worked with children setting up art workshops and spent a good amount of time in retail in the years I started to exhibit. This actually helped me learn how to sell. I’ve done community projects and festivals, and still get involved with small events in the local area. I create spaces for musicians to perform in with art and lighting, cross referencing music and visual imagery.
Is there any one thing that has given you a big buzz in your art career so far?
I was offered The New England Regional Art Museum artist residency program. This was a life saver for me. I was in the perils of a drawn out divorce and was working full time to support my son. My work had dwindled, and my head was full of anxiety. Stephen from Tameresque in Sydney suggested I look into this studio residency. He called the museum while I was there I gave notice at work the next day, and arranged details for my new adventure. In one month I left with a tiny car full of canvas, paints, inks, tools, sculptures and books and drove to Armidale. I was so nervous I drove around the town three times before I entered the museum. When I was taken downstairs to the studio, I was completely overtaken. I found myself a massive white space all to myself. It was enormous, and I worked for weeks to cover the space with colour. It was fantastic. I still hold Armidale dear to my heart.
Do you remember your first painting or artwork?
I remember doing finger painting at Kindy. I loved doing those paintings and covering my hands with the paint. The best feeling was squelching the paint in my fingers or grabbing a friends hand and squashing the paint and watching it ooze and change colour. There’d be lots of laughs. It felt great. I was forever painting and making spaces and houses for my toys.
What or who inspires your art?
New cities and road trips get me going. The best time for me is to get in a car and drive. I take in all that space, or maybe I empty my mind and find solace in large open areas. When I do road trips I make a point to visit small regional museums and visit old historic sites. It is interesting how small towns in the Australian rural areas hold close the ghosts of their past. I enjoy reading how people adapt and interpret their communities. I get thirsty for museums and books.
What caused you to choose the medium you currently work in?
I work with acrylics as my studio has always been at home. In the early years my son was in the studio with me. Once he went to school, I could work with more toxic materials, and did a series of oil paintings, but generally as a rule I chose the less harmful materials. I am unable to cast my own sculptures at the foundry now, as my body has taken in too much toxins from previous castings. I pass out from the smell.
Has your work changed much since your early efforts?
My work has evolved to where it is now. My work has grown with me. My interest with feminie imagery is still part of my narrative.
Have your artistic influences altered over time ?
I’ve learnt more about artists through friends, magazines, travel and books. As a student I loved the frescoes and iconic art of the Renaissance and still do. I have always been intrigued with history, and love researching ancient antiquities. I devoured the surrealists. It’s one of my favourite movements. I love the playfulness of its manifesto. I had a major obsession with the Mexican Muralists for a while, again the intrigue with murals, iconic sculptures and frescoes from history. The work of female artists has always encouraged me to keep exploring, working and living as an artist. Frida Kahlo, Louise Bourgeois and Kiki Smith are inspirational. I understand their imagery. Andy Goldworthy’s beauty and playfulness is a joy. I have recently fallen in love with Franz Marc, and understand his love of nature.
Creative streaks do they come in waves for you?
I can look back now and say that naively I believed I could ride the eternal wave of creativity. I have since learnt and accepted the wave is tidal, and the perplexity of the ebb and flow is what I need to master. To create a wave involves 5 key elements. I believe it’s a constant, the swell isn’t always massive. That’s ok for me. I’ve learnt to be kind to myself in that regard.
Do you get creative glimpses of urges happening and how do you work with these?
I get very passionate about an idea, thought or theory. I research the idea, do a whole lot of impulsive writing, look for images, and just talk about it non stop, everything becomes part of it. The thought becomes a story board, and I live in that moment until I can paint it out of me.
How important is the clarity of concept to you, prior to starting an artwork?
The concept is the starting point for me and the clarity evolves with the work.
Do you have a personal description of “Art”?
I believe Art is all around us. It’s the perception and acknowledgement of this that is art.
Have you had any commissions?
I have spent a long time developing the knack of commissions. It’s a difficult process. Some artists scoff at commissions and believe that it takes away the focus of their personal mission. I’ve done a number of commissions for private collectors, and it’s been an enormous learning curve. It’s a compliment to be asked to paint a special piece for a family, or business. The very nature of art is about communication, and commissions are an integral part of learning how to articulate successfully.
Does the sale of your work support you? If no what else do you do to support your art (job)?
I have had years where I can support myself with my sales, and other years where I have to be more entrepreneurial. I have found that it’s easier to have a fall back, so that a body of work can be produced without selling everything to pay the bills and have nothing left for a show.
Do you get to other artists exhibitions, openings etc?
I love going to shows and openings when I can.
Do you have much contact with other artists. Thankfully I have wonderful friends and family that inspire, support and encourage me. I owe them everything. We all have a similar edge and fragility that we share and support. It’s a great thing to be understood.
Any upcoming or completely new projects you want to talk about?
In October I am exhibiting at Villa Alba Museum in Kew, Melbourne. I am collaborating with the committee of Villa Alba and the design faculty of R.M.I.T. under Marius Foley’s coordination. I have also invited Stephen Philip, a musician, to create some soundscapes for the show. Some contemporary stencil artists from Melbourne, Zvi Belling and Prowla have also been invited to contribute. The motivation for the Villa Alba exhibition is to present art in venues that inspire and reflect cultural exchange, making art more accessible within alternative environments.
Villa Alba Museum is the inspiration for the show, the muse for the artists contributing to this event. For me the house is a metaphor of nurture. My work for this show is inspired by cultural antiquity, stories, myths and images of the feminine. Villa Alba was built for Anna Greenlaw in 1870 and was handed down from mother to daughter, later to be remodelled as a dormitory for mid wives in the 1950’s and a post natal hospital for mothers and babies. Today it is in the process of being restored and is now a Museum. Villa Alba Museum is of National significance by virtue of the quality of its hand painted interiors, it’s one of Australia’s finest examples of 19th Century decoration.
Working towards an exhibition, is it a daunting task?
I find it exciting, exhausting and fun.
If you could have any piece of artwork in your personal collection, what would it be and why?
One of the Asian Minor sculptures of Artemis. It’s a reminder of history and strength, a wonderful statue of the iconic mother. It’s encouraging, beautiful and comforting.
Can you name a favourite artist or three?
Giotto, I love his figures. His images are very empathetic. Frida Kahlo I love. I read her bio when I was 17. It was a big moment for me. Her determination to succeed in Art fuelled me and gave me constant encouragement. I hadn’t read an account of a female artist before. It was only ever about the men. When I moved to Sydney from Melbourne I studied painting at The National Art School and worked at Mori Gallery part time on opening nights. This was where I was introduced to lots of female artists. At the time the common thought was that once female artists got married and became mothers they’d stop exhibiting. There were always plenty of female art students but the torch bearers of exhibiting artists were like a small coven, and it was in Sydney that I was introduced to them. Things became supportive for me in a feminine context to art. I didn’t paint massive big abstract paintings. My works were small and intimate. At the time Vivian Shark Le Witt, Jenny Watson, Fiona Mc Donald, Julie Brown Rapp, Susan Norrie, were inspirations for me. I discovered Kiki Smith a few years ago. She is from New York. Her narratives and research into the feminine are inspirational. I love Drysdale, Nolan and Boyd because they articulate the Australian landscape, the people and the space of our country so well.
Do you keep an Art Journal or Visual Diary of some kind?
I have lots of journals and books and folders that are scattered about. I always have one in my handbag. It’s a good way to sort through ideas.
What happens to works that “don’t work out”?
Sometimes I destroy them, throw them out, or I’ll paint over them. Others hang around like ghosts waiting for life. I’ve recently gone back to a painting I did in Armidale 6 years ago. It felt strange, like I was re writing some past history, perhaps it was fine in its previous state of limbo. Anyhow, that ghost has life once more and I’ll be exhibiting this painting at the Villa Alba show.
Musical influences, Okay this is about Visual Arts but most artists have favourite music they enjoy while working or just in general what about you?
Music is an important part of my creative process. Just like visual art, music imbues a mood. I’m excited about working with music in my next show. Music like visual art can bring me to tears. I believe music is provocative and significant to our language.
What sort of depth or meaning is there behind the work you do ?
In my recent series of horse and bird paintings I am exploring the relationship between animal and the human spirit. Horses in ancient times were symbols of the mother. Celtic and Gallo-Roman civilizations used the horse image to symbolize fertility, re birth and abundance. The bird and dove image has been used throughout history as the symbol of innocence, gentleness, the embodiment of divinity and the matriarch. I use the animal iconography in my work as mother/nurture metaphors.
Do you hope the viewer will “get” what you are trying to communicate or do you feel compelled to spell it out to them?
I use these symbols in a subliminal context. The beauty about symbolism is that each person has a story or association with an image that has nothing to do with my personal investigation. The use of symbolism in a way is the freedom to take an emotion or idea further. Symbols have been classified, and there are contexts to various imageries, but the important thing is that the viewer interprets the work from their own personal dialogue. To take the personal into the universal.
About significant moments in your life, the sort of things that changed things for you forever… perhaps altered your Art… Who how why what and where…?
Tragedy changed my life and my art. I understood beauty so much better once I experienced the darkness of personal tragedy. Maybe that’s why my work now focus’s on nurture and why I love Franz Marc so much. He understood the beauty of animals and the way emotion and communication can be simplified. I understand his gentle brush strokes and kind soft images. I also have great feeling for Giotto and Della Francesca’s work. We all have disaster swirling around us; this is the nature of being. I guess it’s how you want to see things. Life can be fast and furious. I prefer a slow and kind life. I believe the world needs more humility. The post war artists dealt with the shocking imagery of war in different ways, Marc took to nature, and in himself restored some glimmer of hope and beauty. Perhaps my paintings can soothe some wounds or translate some sort of emotion that is tender to the viewer.
If you stopped doing art right now would you miss it?
I don’t actually think that it’s possible to stop thinking about art. I had slowed down when I was ill, and that made me feel terribly depressed. It’s a strong part of me, and without it I would feel lost.
What discourages you from doing art?
I have a habit of becoming extremely sensitive. I think I become quite fearful of being exposed. If I get too introspective I can’t work.
Is motivation to work an issue for you and how do you overcome it?
I know from experience not to push and probe the beast of procrastination. The more you talk about it the stronger it gets. When motivation or lack of it comes charging through, or sneaking up, it needs to be ignored. It feeds on self doubt. I tend to look for new books or visit friends. I’ve also learnt to stop being so outrageously personal, most of my work can be viewed as a common thread or understanding. This is helpful when I get scared of being personally criticized. The theme of the work needs to be strong. This helps me feel secure to paint and motivates me to do the work. If I can somehow articulate a thought, and we’re talking subliminal as well, then I know it’s going to be ok, I’ll work hard. If there’s one notion or thought that I’m going to be ridiculed then I just don’t work. I can’t motivate myself to be put in the firing line.
Do you have a challenge knowing when a work is finished?
I have learnt over the years to understand when a work is finished. There has been some really bad judgements and a few tears in the past, but this is all part of the knowledge.
What about the role of titles with your work, some hate them others revel in them, what about you?
I like to play with titles. I get disappointed at shows when the works are untitled.
Have you had much connection post sale with purchasers of your works?
Yes, a few buyers have become collectors and dear friends. I have been supported over the last few years by these friends. I became ill and was unable to exhibit for a few years at galleries. At the start I was very attached to my paintings and protective about them. It’s crazy I know, they were like a part of me. I didn’t want my work to be stored in a cupboard or collected as an investment. I believed they had a life force of their own. It was important to me that I felt they were looked after. I want my paintings to be part of life, not hidden or unloved.
Tell us about getting caught in a creative “slump” and how you got out of it?
The slump is hard, esp when you rely totally on your income of producing and selling work. It’s a dark place that one. I’ve had to dig myself out of that hole. I have found it useful to do small art courses to help stir the pot so to speak.
If you have been working as an artist for a while, how do you feel about earlier works that are in people’s collections / ownership?
I like to visit them; some of the earlier works are silly. Some shows were such fun to do. I went through a phase of laughing at myself. It’s good to not take myself so seriously. It’s important to have fun.
Name a book or books, which may have inspired your work as an artist?
I read Angela Carter when I was at Art School. That was explosive for me. ‘The Bloody Chamber’ is unforgettable. That led to other books about female artists and writers. Marina Warner is an inspiration. I visit favourite books often; most are research and anthropological topics. I fell in love with Simon Sharma’s book ‘Landscape and Memory’ about ten years ago, and often read a passage from that every now and then. I read Sherry Ortner’s paper “Is Female to Male as Nature Is to Culture” last year that was fabulous, massive and educational. I research lots of topics and spend a great deal of time sourcing facts and fiction. It’s the base colour of my canvas. My works are layered with subliminal stories.
If someone says to you “Oh your work is decorative and lacks any meaning…” your response would be…?
I’d offer them an explanation about what it means to me. I’d comfort them with the notion that it’s up to them to give it meaning if that’s what they want. Some people get scared about art and think that it’s some huge dilemma and that they have no context about how to read it. Some people and some art need a translator. Some art is a different language. It’s important to make people feel comfortable. “I don’t know much about art but I know what I like.” “My six year old can do that” etc. It’s all valid really. We as the artist have a role to assist people to understand how to feel it, if they’ve made an attempt to view it, and it is foreign to them, I’d spend time with the person. All people have different processes to appropriation. I think it’s unfair to expect everyone to feel and think the same way. I don’t understand Russian, but I listen to the sounds and manner and make up what I think it’s about, look at the faces, the hands, watch the reactions. I still don’t know what has been said, but I can feel the idea of what’s being said. I’d possibly be wrong, but I’d enjoyed trying to work it out. I think the same can be applied to Art. If however it’s an aggressive attack and meant to be hurtful, I’d try to ignore them. Some art to me can seem decorative, and that doesn’t demean it, it still has a purpose.
Art as a therapeutic device; do you think it is useful for this purpose and is your work in this category somehow?
To some point it is, but in all honesty, who wants everybody to know what is in theory a private discourse. My art does calm me, and is to some degree therapeutic, but again I feel it’s important to be able to translate the personal to the universal. It’s the nature of communication. Art is a language. My intent is to offer a narrative where hopefully anyone can have a dialogue with it. Otherwise I wouldn’t find the need to exhibit. I speak with colour and my brush; it’s my preferred way of communicating.
Some say a measure of an artwork is the ability for it to hold a person’s attention or cause the viewer to come back after an initial glance and become captivated by the work is that so for your works or an intention of yours?
Yes. I would like that very much. I want people to feel the work.
Some artists are more “at home” isolated in their creative process, while others revel in being part of a group to bounce “ideas off” how about you?
When I start a new body of work I need to hibernate and give the process utmost priority, I can get easily distracted and not focus. It’s a time when I don’t think about the daily routines.
Are there times of the day when you prefer to do your work?
I keep within the working hours of the day. The light is better for me, and it’s a good habit. I’ll paint after dinner as well, but generally I find it difficult to shut off if I’m in the middle of something, I’ll give myself as much time as I need.
Are you the sort of artist that seeks out promotional opportunities or one that shuns the limelight?
I get very nervous about the spotlight. It can get terribly embarrassing but it is so important. I don’t like to blow my own horn. I have been taken out of context before and I got ripped to shreds. Bottom line is I spend most of my time in a studio, not in a marketing office. I know how to, but it’s very difficult speaking about my work and not being construed as an egomaniac. People are genuinely interested in why artists spend so much time doing art, it does fascinate the majority. I think though within the art world some people can just get plain nasty. It’s tough.
Do you work from life, or from photographs or from imagination or some other method?
I work with stories and images, then paint them my way. I paint straight onto the canvas, which can take a bit of adjusting.
When you create your work is it somehow an emotional relief as you do it or at the end?
I think for me it’s a kind of meditation. Some works tend to trigger an emotional shift in me. I spent last year painting only one canvas. I’d spend weeks just looking at it, some days gently painting it. Months would go by and I’d stare at the canvas, maybe paint a thin wash over it. Like bathing a baby almost. My brush strokes were soothing. I did get a sense of calm. However it isn’t great to totally absorb all my energy into one painting. I lovingly painted that piece for a year. It was for me a weeping song of some sort. I think the tenderness of that work does translate to others. People enjoy looking at this painting and say it makes them feel calm.
Artistic Pilgrimages, any to talk about…?
I had the chance to go overseas for a family celebration in London. I hadn’t been there for twenty five years. I had a multitude of images in my head from all my art books at home and I knew I could visit the originals. I had studied these images for decades. When I went to the Tate and saw Stubbs’s horse I went completely weak at the knees. My heart was pounding and I wanted to burst into tears. It was like a skit from some romance comedy. Me rushing through the doors trying to reach this painting. I got there after many doorways and I had to try and calm down. It was crazy.
I also went to Firenze and the feeling I had there was like I was in some twilight zone. It was truly bizarre: disbelief and euphoria all in one. I spent days wondering around the city feeling so re charged. I took my time studying my beloved frescoes. It was almost like a belief had been justified. There is majesty in art, there are the masters, and they do exist.
Did you intend to become a professional artist?
Yes ever since I was a little girl. I’d pretend I was an artist and set up a shop outside my house selling “art” that I’d made.
How many artworks do you produce in a year?
The last couple of years my work has been slow. Sometimes depending on work commitments I have produced 20 images a year. In the last couple of years I have produced half of that. My work takes a longer time to do now.
Do you ever question being an artist?
As a mother I did. Deep down I knew it was the right thing, but I often felt guilty about it. I become a bit absent when I work for a show. The defining boundaries of the female artist mother have been blurred and re defined many times in my life. I thank my son for being so patient with me and understanding. I’m sure it’s not easy having an artist as a mother.
How do you cope with any low points?
In the past, not so well. I get very sensitive. It’s hard to put your work out there in the world, and watch it get devoured. I’m learning to create some sort of boundary. It’s difficult, because to be an artist I believe sensitivity is the key, to deal with the critical crowd is a different type of sensitivity all together. To acknowledge the low is possibly the best thing to do, but never wear it like a shroud.
Have you had any critical reviews and were they good, bad or indifferent?
I’ve had fantastic reviews. They made me feel welcomed. I was excited. I felt loved and understood. I’ve had a bad review and it made me feel trivial. I felt like a caged animal. It made me feel sick, I felt so stupid.
What technical aspects do you focus on in your work?
I apply many washes of thin colour, wet on wet. A lot of water is used when I paint. Then again I also paint dry on dry.
How long do your works they usually take to complete?
Months to years.
How has your mind-set changed from struggling to find your own style to solidifying what you are doing today?
I have learnt to become confident in how I paint, rather than paint to be liked.
How many artworks do you work on at the same time?
I normally work with three images and work on a sculpture. I find this is a good way to spread the paint and not waste it. Acrylics dry fast, so it’s important to use as much of it as I can.
Does some of your current work reflect your earlier works?
My work has always been inspired by stories of women. I come from a strong matriarchal lineage. My mum would talk often of her family, her aunts and great aunts. I’d ask her questions about them and their life, I’d try to imagine what life was like for them. These women and their stories were very much kept alive in my imagination as a child. When my father died I realised our lives are song lines and stories that create our identity and history. Those car trips I did with my mum and hearing her stories were in effect my songlines about the women in my history. I am one of four women in my family, so I guess we have become stories for my nieces and cousins. My mother is a great grandmother now. The stories are endless.
How did you manage to survive financially at the beginning of your art career?
Well I was poor and so were my friends, so it didn’t matter. It’s easy to have fun with no money when you’re young. I worked odd jobs and was an extra in movies for a while. That was pretty good cash and I got to dress up in very strange outfits. I also worked on opening nights at a few galleries for some years. I did a bit of life modelling, which was weird, that didn’t last long.
Did you have any idea about how the art world worked in the beginning?
I had been working in galleries and artist run initiatives as an art student so I knew a fair bit. I learnt how to promote my work and was taught how to hang a show. I made great contacts as well. I did witness some pretty nasty transactions with dealers and artists, but the art world is no different to any other industry. I have learnt to never rely on anyone else but myself. That’s been imprinted in my mind. I also know that the art world has many worlds within it. The trick is to find the one that is caring.
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Compiled and edited by Steve Gray © 2009+
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9 Responses to “Sarah Parker – Artist”
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Fantastic interview, thankyou! I find it a relief to know that other artists create in waves, and that sometimes breaks have to happen. it’s great reading about artist mothers balancing their careers with family too.
What a fascinating, articulate insight into the creative process, imagery and professional development. A beautiful selection of work, too.
I think the Villa Alba show sounds wonderful. I love your sculptures because they have such an undeniable femininity that is not in your face and is not syruppy. Go Girl!
Was moved to tears when seeing the 2 paintings with horse and bird, something so beautiful and tender and loving in them. Was transfixed!Well done!
What a great interview – honest & inspiring. Love your artwork Sarah, it really does reflect a emotive, sensitive & caring feminine nature
Oh Sarah, How lovely to get to know you even more than I do already!! What a lovely journey!!!
Reverie exhibtion 23rd-25th October 2009
Villa Alba Museum Kew Melbourne.
44 Walmer St Kew
12-6.00pm
Hi Sares
Finally getting to re-connect after about 7 years
We are going well. Bubby is now nearly 8 !!!
I know the last time you saw us she was about 1 so its that long.
Are you on FB? will try and track you down on it
love Cath