Mary Parslow Artist Printmaker Northern Canada
mary-parslow.com

Artist Statement

I like to think I am following the advice of artist Robert Genn who says: "Try to think of and live in the fineries of Nature: cocoons, flowers, birds, butterflies, eggs, reflections, leaves, sticks, and bones.  Think also of emblems, badges, mandalas, signs, glyphs, totems, birth, wonder, light.  Rawness, death, decay, and disfigurement also have their place.  Life and art is a bombardmant of variety."

Art I like to see and make usually involves the swirls, lines, curves and layers of nature and it's raw, direct and dramatic impact. It seems to be an emotional response to what I see and feel as I contemplate a piece I am about to undertake. I need to have a strong connection to the image before I start.

The art on this website is an ongoing collection of work translating my responses to the environment , especially the land, the Peace River, trees, birds, people and their interactions with nature. The work most often evolves from photographs or sketches to drawings and then into printmaking and sometimes painting.  Printmakers are often referred to as the "engineers" of the art world because they handle a considerable set of processes, tools and machinery. The processes of printmaking are both mindful and meditative leaving the artist time for deep reflection and soul searching.

Print artists have a deep appreciation and connection to the printed word, books, and posters, from which their process historically evolved.  They have a close association with the declaration and dissemination of  messages of social justice and political importance in an inexpensive and mass produced fashion.  I enjoy this concept and hope my efforts reflect this link. Just as life has many layers of meaning and complexity so does the process of printmaking.  Line upon line, precept on precept, like the layers of ink and print, the work goes on.