Philip Parker

Biography

I am a North Londoner who settled in North Wales 32 years ago, having previously studied at Kent, London and Manchester Universities (finally as a post graduate in Landscape Design) and then completing a Fine Art Diploma at Brighton Art College. Subsequently I developed a short art career in Brighton painting murals, portraits and figurative work, holding two one man exhibitions and a variety of mixed ones. This period ended in a two year private commission decorating the apartments of a well-known businessman at Chelsea Harbour in London, including portraits of family, full scale equestrian portraits, window paintings, interior murals and an exterior mural . On arrival in Wales I embarked on a 24 year career in Horticulture, selling Streptocarpus plants nationwide for the multi-award winning Dibleys Nurseries of Llanelidan near Ruthin. During that time I was also involved in some museum interiors, some mixed exhibitions, portrait work, wrote two volumes of unpublished poetry, published in periodicals and also won the prestigious Bridport Poetry Prize. Lately, now somewhat less busy, I have been able to return to my life-long obsessions in ink drawing and oil painting, showing small scale work regularly at the Market on the Fringe in Llangollen from 2010, whilst storing and selling other larger works at home through the posted images on my website. I am still fascinated by the emotional power of figurative art, symbolism, texture and colour and more determined than ever to bring out the full range of ideas that constantly occupy my mind. My last one man show was at Theatr Clwyd in 2019 immediately before the pandemic. I no longer show my oil paintings in public, but through my website, I open my house as my gallery by appointment. My drawings and books may still be seen and purchased in Llangollen and from my website www.philipcharlesparker.com