J.S. Parker 1944-2017

 J.S. PARKER ONZM

(1944  – 2017)

Born in Auckland in 1944, Parker studied at Ilam School of Fine Arts, Christchurch and graduated with Honours in Painting in 1967.  Parker worked as a full-time artist from 1981 up until several months prior to his death in 2017.

In the 2002 Queen’s Birthday Honours Parker was awarded an ONZM for 40 years of services to painting and in 1970 was awarded the prestigious Frances Hodgkins Fellowship at Otago University.

Parker is best known for his large impasto paintings within a grid format, full of texture, rhythm and balance within his imposed framework. He worked in thick layers of paint applied with a palette knife, sweeps of paint, which he pared down to reveal hints of what lies beneath.

For Parker, it was the sense of an inner radiance in his paintings which allows the viewer to relate to the “spirit” of the painting.  He always had a spiritual basis to his work and his ‘Plain Song’ series reference the plains of Canterbury and of Marlborough where he lived.

“Plain Song – everything has been titled with that name for the past four decades.  Not only does this reference my memories of the plains of Canterbury and Marlborough throughout my life, but also my love of music – especially blues, jazz and classical.” JS Parker

Works painted not long before his death,  included several of uplifting,  joyous colour – a sense of embracing his life to the full,  as well as simply riding the rhythms of superbly juxtaposed colours. 

Parker exhibited regularly in ARTIS Gallery from 2013 – 2017.  In 2016 the painting titled  ‘Plain Song:  The Light Plain – Sunlight ‘, was purchased by Otago University for the Hocken Collection.

In 2017 Parker completed four new paintings by the end of May, which were exhibited at ARTIS  (six weeks after his death) in an exhibition, Three Part Harmony, with Bronwynne Cornish and Bridget Bidwill.  

In August 2020, ARTIS presented a selection of works specifically released by his family for an exhibition - ‘OH NO NEVER LET THE SPIRIT DIE’.  During  September 2024 an exhibition ‘PLAIN SONG: Works on Paper', was presented by ARTIS Gallery. Also released by his family, this  collection of 10 works dated from 1981 – 1997.