Studio Visit w/ Denzel Parks

We are very excited to launch and share Studio Visit with you all!

Studio Visit is a monthly series of interviews where we sit down with the solo artist to explore their practice and process. This month we are featuring Denzel Parks.

Denzel’s Twilight Time is on view through February 26, 2023.

Don’t miss the closing reception on Sunday, February 26 (4-6 PM)!  

Originally from Detroit, Denzel was inspired to pursue a career in visual arts during his college years and became a full-time artist in 2016. His artistic practice is rooted in expressing the human experience which he synthesizes in the human figure, structured use of color and expressive brushwork.

Could you talk about your background in art?
I grew up in Detroit, surrounded by graffiti and art galleries, so naturally I studied graphic design at Eastern Michigan University. I had no prior experience or training in graphic design, art, or art history; I literally started this journey my second year of college, and fell in love with art. I experimented with painting and developed an affinity for portraits and figurative works. My earlier portraits were informed by my experience as a graphic designer, so lots of mix media, and screen printing on canvas. 

What were the last three years of your life like in the pandemic? 
Surreal, haha! I had a lot of growth and development during this time, as an artist and as a human. I learned to appreciate the alone-time, and I definitely realized the importance of productivity. I used this time to explore my creative process and the meaning of my work and also to get to know myself more and initiate some new experiences. 

How have you transformed in the journey of creating this body of work?
Twilight Time brings closure to the past three years of my life. With this body of work, I did a lot of self reflection and became more comfortable with myself as an artist. This is the first body of work that focuses on my personal experiences and individuals that I shared those experiences with. I feel I've definitely matured into a style that is more unique to myself and I've also become more comfortable with myself as an artist and as a subject. I’m very happy that I was able to capture these experiences and translate them into this body of work. I'm also really excited to see how the experience I had creating this body of work informs my future work.

Your work has a strong emphasis on color and its relationship with the human experience. What is your favorite color?
Well, my favorite color is purple, it's magical. It's weird because I don't often utilize purple in my work. Purple has so much depth, it is so vibrant and diverse, and has a bit of mystery. All in all, color is my art mood-language, it's how I speak my vibe. It's definitely a way for me to connect with an audience and share my emotions without directly using words or verbally explaining myself.

Could you describe your technical process? 
My studio is in my bedroom, so I do a lot of daydreaming, haha! I literally lay in bed or on my Floyd Detroit (if I’m working in my living room) and daydream about my memories and experiences––this is how I cultivate concepts for my work, I spend a lot of time thinking. After hours of daydreaming and visualizing art, my paintings generally begin with color. I usually have my color palette figured out before I physically begin working on any piece. Once I do that, I usually do a series of sketches before I work on canvas. From there, the piece I'm working on guides what happens next. I don't go deep into the academic techniques because I appreciate unintentional qualities in my work, this gives me an opportunity to elaborate and explore, and in my opinion makes a piece more unique and expressive.

Who are your art heroes? Were there any particular artworks that you were looking at while creating this body of work?
Some of my art heroes are Kerry James Marshall, Henri Matisse, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Rene Magritte, Vojtech Kovarik, Amy Sherald, and Derrick Ofosu Boateng. For this show, I pulled influences from all of these artists, however, I think Magritte really informed this body of work. I'm a fan of his style, and how he emphasizes the dreamlike reality, this really resonates with me and my work.

Images: Courtesy of Denzel Parks