The Long View: Artist Randolph Parker’s unwavering vision
Profile by Shelagh Plunkett (page 3)
If he accepted poverty, he also knew, somewhere in his soul, it wouldn’t last forever. Parker was right. Today he lives the artist’s dream and it does not include starvation or a cold garret. Parker is one of the few Canadian artists paid in advance just to paint. Every month a cheque arrives from the galleries representing Parker, allowing him to concentrate on his work.
“They call me monthly and ask how is it going. I always tell them I’ve just come back from holidays. The truth is I work very hard and they have total confidence in what I will achieve.”
He explains this is also part of the long view. By working eight hours a day on his paintings, Parker is producing a large body of work that will one day, he hopes, fulfill its historic goal. Only then will future critics be able to see if Parker’s vision remained consistent throughout his career; only against a volume of work will they be able to analyse a given canvas and see how it relates to the whole. Only then will Parker’s paintings have a chance to become part of Canadian art history.
Achieving such a goal would be unlikely, says Parker, without the support of the galleries representing him. “These guys that I am dealing with, I am probably on board with for life. It’s a long term perspective where everything develops: the quality of the work, the income, their reputation in dealing with the work.”
Seeing Parker’s canvases leaves no mystery as to why his galleries have made such a commitment to his future.
