About the Artist

About the Artist:
John Parnell was born in Edmonton Alberta in 1958. John studied art at Emily Carr College of Art and Design, graduating with a four year Fine Arts Diploma in 1984. While continuing his studio work he attended the University of Calgary, graduating in 1988 with a Bachelor of Education. After graduating John took a full time position with West Island College in Calgary, where he has taught fine art till June 2003, when John left teaching to pursue a full time art career.

Education:
•President’s Honour Role, Alberta College of Art, 1995.
•B.Ed, University of Calgary, 1988.
•Fine Arts Diploma, ECCAD, Vancouver, BC, 1984.

Solo Exhibitions:
•Omma Gallery for Contemporary Art, Hania, Greece, September 2003.
•The Here and Now Gallery, Toronto, Ontario, 1999.
•Entrance Gallery, Calgary, Alberta, 1992.
•Campaign Gallery, Calgary, Alberta, 1987.

Select Group Shows
•Florence Biennale, Florence, Italy 2007.
•Period Gallery, 8001 Leo Lane Lincoln, NE 68505, USA, 2003-2006
•International Art Festival, Hania, Greece, 2003
•Omma Gallery for Contemporary Art, Hania, Greece, October, 2002.
•Omma Gallery for Contemporary Art, Hania, Greece, December, 2001.
•Springs Art Center, Manitou, CO, USA, 2000.
•Kerr Gallery, Vancouver, BC, 1984.
•The Force Gallery, Victoria, BC, 1983.

Representation

1 - 9 Dicembre 2007 Fortezza da Basso - Firenze
http://florencebiennale.org/	http://www.periodgallery.com	http://www.artcentral.ca

Artist Links

Robert Lorenson, Sculptor - Informative and photographic site for internationally recognized sculptor Rob Lorenson. He works primarily in stainless steel. He has a extensive resume of exhibitions and commissions throughout North America. He is an associate professor of Art-Sculpture at Bridgewater State College, Bridgewater, MA

Contact

	I want to preface this statement. I do not believe that an artist statement should serve to explain or justify an artist's work. The work stands on it's own, independent of the artist, or it falls short as a visual premise. It is not the artist's role to act as interpreter or promoter for a composition. Painting is a language and can only be understood through experiencing the work itself. This does take both time and effort from the viewer. The artist should not encourage the viewer to be lazy or denies them input, whereby they do not make an effort to understand or participate in a meaningful manner.
	My work is under several influences and not limited to any particular movement or set of ideals. There are layers to my work, both in the way I approach the creation and in the way it can be interpreted. Of late I am aware of a greater Canadian or regional influence. Preparing for the bienniale in Florence has forced me to reflect on my national heritage as a painter. The idea of the landscape inherent the Canadian experience and the spiritualism of the first nations art, both come into play in my most resent works. They are not truly representational nor are the paintings purely abstract, but instead I prefer to work without fixing my mind on any cognisant boundaries. The images are crafted with a keen awareness of the challenges of colour and composition and are more symbolic and allegorical than representational. There is a duality to all aspects, intrenching the possibility for innumerable meanings to be applied to the subject. This creates a sort of ambiguity, granting the viewer’s psyche a role in expanding the reference of the work.
	The source for each work is both actual and imagined. My paintings start with an existing landscape or place. These places relate to me and manifest a choice which reflects an attachment to the important’s of a space and the sacredness of place. There is an influence of landscape on my psyche which relates to my childhood. The allegorical players or figures are staged and placed into the scene and lit through the use of 3D graphic software. Each detail is carefully choreographed into a virtual photograph of the scene. The image is then filtered to remove unnecessary or distracting details, rendering it down to what I refer to as my digital sketch. Once all the details of the image are in harmony, I am ready to paint.
	The next step for me is back to the traditional craft of hand drawing the image onto my canvas. From here on in the paint takes over and the piece is all about the intuitive application of decades of experience. When I paint it is all about the experience of painting, and the drawing is just a loose frame to hang the paint on.
	My work has an existential awareness, without the pessimistic overtones. The work is grounded in the awareness of a quiet solitary moment. The potential lies in the possibilities of the next moment and how we move from the now.
	Paintings essentially must go farther than words alone can. The accomplishment of combining through intellect and fabrication, line, colour, form, content, etc into a unique and personal statement, is the whole point of art. The entire rational for painting is that words are inadequate or deficient. It is therefor ludicrous to attempt an explanation of the work through weak interpretations already deemed insufficient. Explanations through words limits the reading of the piece, therefor the viewer's experience is mostly diminished rather than enhanced. Every element of a painting's composition is critical to the end experience of the work, and it is the viewers responsibility to allow themselves an adequate duration to absorb and to be open to the possibilities presented to their senses. If they do this the rewards are infinite. A well crafted work has potential to bring new meaning into existence and will continue to enrich and reveal itself with each viewing over a continuum.
	This is the objective I strive for.