Johnice Parker

Johnice Parker was born in 1952 in Memphis, Tennessee and graduated with a Bachelor in Fine Arts from Memphis Academy of Arts in 1981.  She also holds an Arts Certificate from the University of Madrid after studying for a year in Madrid, Spain. Following graduation Parker traveled extensively throughout Europe, United States, Mexico and Canada.  While her appeal and perspective are truly contemporary, Parker draws her inspiration from familiar and personal experiences that are the subject of her paintings.  Her art draws upon experiences based in family tradition, the church, community and nature. This is especially true of her platform images, in chalk pastels, which she first became known for in the art world.  Each of these paintings tells a story of life and the connections with family and family relations.

The breath of Parker’s work is comprehensive.  In more recent years she has used vibrant color in her mix of oils, acrylic to produce textural richness as she produces abstracts, landscapes, seascapes and portraits of life. Each of her paintings reveal the motivating power of life and life’s lessons.

As a result of her amazing and prolific gift, Parker’s work has been collected widely throughout the world. Her work can be found among private collectors to museums and among permanent public art displays.  Her work has been displayed in city museums and galleries in Texas, Tennessee, Arkansas, Colorado, Michigan, Florida as well as the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C.

The power of her work is not limited to museums and collections alone.  Parker’s art is appreciated for the stories they tell connecting the spirit and experiences of life. Parker’s work has also served to teach other artists techniques and style. She has used her gift to teach and inspire young artists and children as they explore their talent.   

Currently Parker is tapping into her talent as a writer in completing a book of prose to accompany a body of work entitled, “Painting Past the Pain.”  These works explore visually and verbally “what it is like to go through life changing experiences that take you to the brink of giving up, but Spirit will not let you.” This book combining two art forms is due for release in the not too distant  future.  She is President/CEO of Johnice I. Parker Studios, Inc.

The pictures below are only portions of each painting. Click the image to see the full painting.