The Long View: Artist Randolph Parker’s unwavering vision
Profile by Shelagh Plunkett
Randolph Parker has a great view. From where he stands you can almost see into the future.
At the window of his Salt Spring Island studio, the landscape painter gazes out at the foreground land dropping sharply to the shores of Ganges Harbour; in the middle distance the Three Sisters guarding the mouth of the harbour are backed by fingers of land and a snaking Active Pass; in the background the Cascade Mountains rise, punctuated by Mount Baker. Over all arches the dome of the sky and an endless show of atmospheric effects.
Turning away from the window and into Parker’s studio can be disorienting. Mountains soar above placid rivers, glaciers flow into icy lakes, prairie meadows stretch to foothills and staggered islands show meandering coastal passageways. Over all these landscapes arches the dome of the sky and a varied array of atmospheric effects beautifully rendered in acrylic paints. These are paintings ready to be shipped East for Parker’s two solo exhibits opening simultaneously in Winnipeg and Calgary the weekend of April 9 - 10.
“We are blessed here on the coast with a vastness of space which is rich in detail with ever-changing atmospheric effects,“ says Parker, adding “and I am lucky enough to translate it.“
Translation, interpretation, reflection, rendition; call it what you will, this guy is no illustrator. Decades of hard work, tireless fascination and constant observation have culminated ( for the moment, because his career is far from complete ) in Parker’s status today as one of Canada’s foremost landscape painters.
And there is a view in that as well; the long view. Like many artists, Randolph Parker can tell you that from an early age ( six years, to be precise ) he wanted to be a painter when he grew up. Unlike most, however, the path he has followed from then to now has been relentlessly straight and without detour. When asked if he ever doubted his goal, his answer is a simple “No.“
As an example he tells a story...
