Creation is the means of our existence. Being creative allows us to fully engage in the present moment while sharing our unique magic with the world. Here I met up with inspiring creative artist, Parker Detchon (ParkersPaintings.com). He lives in Portland, Oregon where he produces digital media and paints full time. He is on his way to Hawaii for the winter to follow painting and surfing dreams. His love of life is contagious!
How and when did you know that you wanted to pursue the path of painting?
Painting has been a life path from the get go and I started getting serious with my education and technical application in high school. I began to pursue painting seriously in the real world when I sold my first piece and thought to myself, “Whoa, I just turned a piece of wood with paint on it into money.”
Where do you find your inspiration?
My inspiration varies per piece, per series and evolves with me as I grow through this amazing experience of life on Earth. For example when I was young I was inspired by Felix the Cat, and now I’m inspired by consciousness and dimensional astral traveling. In the end the real motive is expression and communication of what’s in our hearts and minds.
How do you feel that yoga and art are related?
Yoga practice is an art form itself. Each practitioner is using their body as a brush, movement as a stroke and mat as a canvas. Yoga is a performance art and your soul is the only audience member. We should hang used yoga mats in a gallery so you know how it feels for a painter to see a work of art. Everyone missed the experience of the act and has to decipher what happened from the remaining evidence.
What does the sacred geometry in your artwork symbolize to you?
Geometry literally means earth measurement and the sacred preface indicates the “…on Earth as it is in Heaven” idea. For me this has a large volume of symbolic meanings but the most core one being that our world, us included, is of a divine order. Buddhists acknowledge this by saying hello to the Buddha within everyone they meet. We must use the grand power of free will wisely, compassionately and with love as its intention. This is my new favorite topic.
What do you do to help your community and the planet?
My work has always been made using post-consumer waste and recycled goods. In a way it is to snub my nose at people who buy everything brand new instead of acknowledging our over consumption of materials goods. On a small scale, I look into the iris of stranger’s eyes and smile really big with an open heart. It takes confidence and practice but boy that is so fun and helps people feel like they’re part of a community and not just a stranger on a sidewalk anymore.
What words of wisdom can you pass along to other aspiring artists?
How you deal with fear of failure shall define you and dictate where you fall between the spectrum of blocked to prolific. Setup your workflow with the freedom to fail built right in so it’s not such a big deal anymore. Fail prolifically and happy accidents will abound.
Thanks for the share Parker!!!! Excited to see your newest island inspired creations. ALOHA!
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