Gregory Parker
Wichita, Kansas
Artist Gregory Parker creates expressive abstract paintings that use landscape forms to evoke places both familiar and otherworldly. "The work is not a puzzle to be solved, but a mystery to be experienced," says Gregory. His interest in making things began in childhood, when building forts and creating objects outdoors first sparked his imagination. He went on to study art, earning an MA in Drawing and Painting in 1985. After initially working in watercolor, he explored various mediums before focusing on acrylics, drawn to their versatility and potential for experimentation. His paintings combine poured, dragged, and splattered paint with carefully developed details and varied surfaces. Gregory works in his home studio, where he lays his canvases flat and uses a turntable to rotate them as he paints. Outside the studio, he enjoys spending time with his wife, children, and grandchildren, as well as camping, walking, and being outdoors.
Artist Statement
Creating art has been a constant in my life for as long as I can remember. Over the years, my practice has taken many turns, leading me through different materials, techniques, and approaches. I have always been drawn to experimentation, trying new things and allowing unexpected results to lead me in new directions. For me, the creative process is as much about discovery as it is about bringing an idea to life.
I want my paintings to have an otherworldly quality, offering a glimpse into a place that feels familiar yet slightly strange. I don't intend for the work to communicate a specific story or symbolism. Instead, I see each painting as an open-ended experience, a mystery to be explored rather than a puzzle to be solved.
My process begins with acrylic paint on stretched canvas. I pour, drag, and splatter paint across the surface, allowing chance and the movement of the material to establish the initial composition. I then begin defining the image, adding details and working with squeeze bottles to create raised marks, dots, and expressive lines. I enjoy the contrast between thick, tactile passages and flatter areas of paint, building visual interest through variations in surface and gesture.
I work on my paintings in stages, beginning in my basement studio, where I can experiment freely with paint, before moving upstairs to refine the image. As the painting develops, I balance instinct with deliberate adjustments, continuing until the composition feels complete. I often step away and live with a piece for a while before deciding it is finished. Ultimately, I hope to create work that invites viewers to look beyond the familiar and discover something unexpected.
I want my paintings to have an otherworldly quality, offering a glimpse into a place that feels familiar yet slightly strange. I don't intend for the work to communicate a specific story or symbolism. Instead, I see each painting as an open-ended experience, a mystery to be explored rather than a puzzle to be solved.
My process begins with acrylic paint on stretched canvas. I pour, drag, and splatter paint across the surface, allowing chance and the movement of the material to establish the initial composition. I then begin defining the image, adding details and working with squeeze bottles to create raised marks, dots, and expressive lines. I enjoy the contrast between thick, tactile passages and flatter areas of paint, building visual interest through variations in surface and gesture.
I work on my paintings in stages, beginning in my basement studio, where I can experiment freely with paint, before moving upstairs to refine the image. As the painting develops, I balance instinct with deliberate adjustments, continuing until the composition feels complete. I often step away and live with a piece for a while before deciding it is finished. Ultimately, I hope to create work that invites viewers to look beyond the familiar and discover something unexpected.
Artist Background
Wichita State University
Bachelor of Fine Arts, 1978
University of Kansas
Master of Fine Arts, 1985
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