Biography Sarah Parks is an artist who skillfully blends Impressionism with Classical Realism.  Her talent is evident in her ability to capture the form and her excellent use of light and shadow. Sarah grew up in an artistic family and has had a passion to draw all her life.  She admired the works of Rembrandt, Sargent, and Sorolla on visits to the major museums of New York, Philadelphia, London, Paris, Rome and Florence.  Sarah earned two degrees (Magna cum Laude) in Art History and Studio Art from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. In her study of portraiture, she is grateful to have bee able to be guided by some of today’s finest portrait artists, such as Daniel Green, Michael Shane Neil, and Paul Mccormack, and mentored by Bart Lindstrom, John De La Vega and Net Bittinger. Her love of other art genres has motivated Sarah to continually refine her technique through serious and intense study from some of the foremost landscape, still life, and figurative painters today.  She is a member of the Oil Painters of America, Portrait Society of America, Cecelia Beaux Society, American Society of Portrait Artists, The Copely Society, and the Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club. The Charlottesville Arts and Entertainment magazine stated: Sarah Crews Parks demonstrates her skillful talent to blend Impressionist elements with the Classical Realist tradition. She brings a contemporary sensibility to classical compositions and subjects. Parks’ polished brush strokes are softened by her natural palette.  Her magnificent attention not only to detail but to surface texture is evident in her figure paintings…her figures are shaped by the accurate use of light and shadow.  Parks’ unique style only heightens the artistic experience with her visually beautiful masterpieces.

Artist Statement Drawing has been something I’ve done instinctively for as long as I can remember, and for many years pencils were my medium of choice.  But when I discovered oil paint, a whole new world opened up to me.  The glow and transparency that makes a face so lifelike, the juxtaposition of cool versus warm tones that give a landscape painting its vibrancy, the texture of thickly applied impasto for the highlights and thinly painted darks in a still life is what makes a painting a joy to view over and over.  This requires a process of learning that can’t be mastered overnight.  In fact, the artist is in a constant state of learning.  But when it is done right, it can bring a delight to the painter and the viewer.  That is my goal. When painting a portrait, I enjoy the challenge of capturing the personality and likeness of a subject because that portrait will be a family treasure to be handed down from generation to generation.  But whatever the subject is, whether it is a portrait, figurative, still life, or landscape, my aspiration is to capture the perfect play of light, shadow, and color, enhancing the spirit and composition of my painting. Oil painting has flourished throughout history because of the unarticulated need in humankind to see a better world or a truer truth that could be hiding just behind the veil of the world they see every day. Within all of us lies a wistfulness to see the way things ought to be, beyond the way they are.  I hope to provide not only a clearer, more compelling reality, but the lens through which to view it.  It is a thrilling thing to create a painting that takes a mundane sight and give it new light, richer colors, and more compelling emotion.

Commissioning a Portrait Successful portraits are a true collaboration between client and artist.  Sarah’s multi-step process typically includes: 1.  An initial consultation to discuss the size, spirit, and details of the portrait, where it will hang, the lighting it will be viewed in, and possible options for framing. 2.  If the subject is not able to sit for the portrait, Sarah will photograph the subject to explore pose, styling, background and expression.  This session can be scheduled at Sarah’s studio in Chesapeake or at a location of your choice.  There are usually 50 or more photographs taken at this time in various poses and lighting.  After reviewing the results together on a laptop computer, the final composition of the painting is decided.  For posthumous portraits, Sarah will work with you to select appropriate photo references from personal archives. 3.  Sarah will paint a brief oil sketch to get the coloration of the subject(s). 4.  She will then create the painting in the studio using the finest materials on premium linen canvas, resulting in a portrait that will last for many generations. Fees do not include framing, sales tax, or travel and/or shipping expenses.  Travel costs are billed when incurred, and a non-refundable deposit of 50% is due when painting begins.  The balance is due upon final approval and acceptance of the portrait.  Please contact the artist for further information. Sarah Parks can be reached at sarahparks@verizon.net 757-546-0282 Chesapeake, VA   23322