Monet Lives! A Portrayal of Claude Monet

Step into the captivating world of this Impressionist artist. Hear stories of his struggles, obsessions, and life in 1860s Paris. Historical portrayal performed by artist Jim Parks. Signup required.

Speaker Bio: Jim Parks 

"I was six when the kids on the block started calling me “The Artist." I always had a pencil in my hand.
 
But when it came time to make a living, the Siren Song Of The Theater called and I performed on many stages in Chicago. I ended up with a long career on TV and radio commercials…culminating in becoming the on-air host of "New Spaces" on HGTV, a remodeling show that aired interesting room renovations for 10 years.
 
At the end of that stint, moving into semi-retirement and itching to paint seriously, I began to produce the art that had been simmering there, unexpressed, for most of my working life. It was as if a key had been turned. Artwork started to flow through me again and out into the world. It's been a migration:
 
I painted flowers at first. I love the tangled vegetation beneath that gives rise to the form and function of a flower. 
 
Then I moved away from the squared-off confines of the canvas to the curvilinear freedom of shaped wood. I made "wall sculptures” out of layers of thin painted panels. I explored layers and edges that could be as curved and interesting as my jigsaw would allow. 
 
From there I left the aspects of painting— color, value, texture, and shading — behind. I moved on to the medium of wire, where the only aspect you have to work with is line. For example, I built a wire homage to a famous Toulouse-Lautrec painting of a seated dancer. Looking at his painting, I mentally remove the color, value, and texture from his painting, revealing the beautiful bones of his composition. I can celebrate this framework. in wire.
 
Now I have swung in a completely opposite direction, to the vivid color of the Impressionists. There must have been something in the water in Paris around the 1870s that brought about a gush of creative facility with paint. To learn from them and walk in their footsteps I've painted 60-some tiny 4" x 4" panels, each an homage to Monet, Degas, Gauguin and their friends.
 
My paints and I crave the pleasure of the dance, the challenge of the fight, and all the conversation in-between."  jimparksartist.com