Parker Smith
Parker Smith
When did you first become interested in art?
At a very young age. My mother is an artist and when I was young, when we had our little mom and son days, one of the things we would do would be making art….whether it be drawing, coloring, or making our own clay and sculpting with it.
You know how they say that some people have more of an artistic mind and others have more of a critical thinking mind….I’ve just always been an artistic person
Has your style changed from when you first began as an artist?
Yes. Ive always had a very “different” imagination but I’ve noticed that, as I’ve grown older and experienced life, my art has picked up a much darker twist to it.
What style of art do you use most?
Well, up until recently I mostly did sketch drawings and some painting, but lately I’ve really been getting into photomanipulation/photoshop because the possibilities with that are basically endless….it’s amazing.
What medium do you use?
My favorite right now is photoshop
What made you choose that medium?
Because you can take Real moments in time and alter them. It’s really cool
Do your ideas come from life or imagination?
I will Definitely say that they come from both. That’s what art is, isnt it? It’s you creating somthing from your mind that you put together through your experiences and observations.
I do think that my art leans way over into the imagination side though, because to me thats the fun part about it…is taking something and then pushing it to one extreme or the other.
How do you choose your images and colours?
With my art lately I just choose photos that trigger any of my emotions whether it be humor, or seriousness, or fear, and then I just go with it. I never know what it is I’m creating until I’m finished. Even when I’m Drawing on paper, I usually start off by just making some sort of mark on the paper and then letting that mark take me to my next move and so on.
Who is your favourite artist?
I’m not really sure….art is such an individual thing that everyones art to me is inspirational or thought provoking in one way or another, but right now i think that David Lachapelle is one of my, for sure, favorites.
What is your favourite piece of work by yourself?
I honestly dont have a favorite because they all took time and thought, and they all represent somthing that was going on in my life, or a state of mind i was in, or something personal like that. I have a few that I like a lot though, one of them is my picture “vanessa” because it started off as a picture of me!
How much time (on average) does it take to complete a work?
Oh gosh, it can take anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of weeks. Strangley enough my best ones are usually the ones that take 30 minutes.
How well do you take criticism?
I love criticism because it means people are taking the time to look at your work and think about what it is trying to portray
What do you do to overcome a ‘block’?
Go outside and look around
How do you know something is ‘finished’? Is it easy to walk away?
lol its never easy. I usually have to force myself to quit. There IS such a thing as too much.
Have you had exhibits in galleries?
no I cant say that I have but I would love to some day
Have you any exhibits in galleries planned for the future?
Not yet
What are your plans for the future?
Creating art
What advice would you give new artists?
Your art is all about you and your creativity, and feelings and emotions, so there is no such thing as right or wrong. Dont try to follow any guidelines, just create and then you can seek after some critisism and see how people perceive your art, and if you feel like you got through to them how you wanted to.
Wonderful images Parker, thank you so much for the interview and the good advice 
You can view more of Parker’s images at http://pARTer.imagekind.com
