Impressionism 2.0

If there's such a thing as being simultaneously famous and completely unknown, Carl Parker is it. It's no surprise really, he's been a mass of contradictions and defying odds since the day he entered the world.

Parker was born and raised in the picturesque city of Fredericton, the capital city of New Brunswick, Canada, however, his early years were anything but picture perfect, having been abused, neglected and essentially abandoned. A bright child, he somehow did poorly in school and found he did even worse in the work-a-day world as an adult. He was a square peg in a round hole, seeminly destined to view the world from the outside.

That is until his grandmother, Dorothy, a hobbiest oil painter, placed a paint brush in her wayward grandson's hand and told him to "see what comes out." He was 26. She knew he enjoyed drawing and sensed he may have inherited her talent. She was right!

That brush rarely left his hand after that first day and soon, following an intense period of self study, Parker was being compared to the old impressionist masters, van Gogh, Matisse and Cezanne.

High praise indeed! However, Parker's work departs from the old masters in two very distinct ways. More specifically, it builds on the foundation they laid before him.

First, Parker incorporates not just impressionism, but several styles, in his work, including minimalism, surrealism, abstraction, and sometimes even realism, and somehow makes it work. The result is a recognizable, albeit ecclectic, look that is uniquely his own.

For example, his 2020 piece, entitled Music in the Street, while having a somewhat impresssionist bent, incorporates surreal elements, both in the almost space age like street and in his "shadow people".

Another example of this blending of styles can be seen in Empty Apartment, a 2018 piece which incorporates the simple lines and geomentric forms of minimalism with an impressionistic vibe.

Secondly, Parker's work possesses a distinct emotional element. His work tells a story and while the story may differ slightly depending on the observer, the foundational underpinnings of that story seem somehow to be universal. An example of this would be his 2020 piece Love in the City.

Here, there's an obvious feeling that the two figures are indeed, in love and perhaps, facing danger, or just coming out of a dangerous situation. There's a complex mix of comfort and uncertainty that exists simultanously that compells the observer to look a little more closely.

These unique elements, along with his ability to touch people through his work has earned Parker a worldwide following. His work hangs in homes and businesses throughout Europe, the United States, Canada and as far away as Australia and New Zealand. Yet, he's virtually unknown. How can such an oxymoronic condition exist, one may ask. One word, Facebook. That's right, Facebook.

In 2011, at the behest of a then girlfriend, Parker began posting his work on the social media site. The response was almost instantaneous, with inquiries and accolades flooding in. So did the collectors, all eager to hang a "Parker" in their space.

Ten years on, this next generation impressionist remains largely unknown outside the world of social media and a handful of hard core art afficionados. Well, until now.