One of Those Perfect Evenings
18" x 24" oil
Parke Goodman holds a deep respect for the long held traditions of representational art. As a painter of Western landscapes, Goodman is strongly influenced by the Hudson River and Rocky Mountain Schools and artists George Innes, Alfred Bierstadt, and William Keith. His objective is not to copy what he sees, but to capture the emotion felt when witnessing nature. The result is a sensitive description of nature that could best be described as a "romantic landscape." Born in Iowa in 1956, Parke Goodman moved to Colorado with his family at age twelve. Upon completion of high school, he moved to Bozeman, Montana to study architecture at Montana State University. After several years of study, Goodman left to begin his search for a personal means of expression. In 1991, inspired by his surroundings, Goodman finally realized his dream and turned his lifelong hobby into a full-time career. Goodman travels throughout the Northern Rockies painting small sketches which he uses to create larger studio paintings. Once in the studio, the paintings are created slowly with many layers of paint. This technique, known as impasto, involves laying down a thick layer of paint. After allowing this layer to dry, Parke "scumbles," or drags, wet paint over the dry surface. Finally, he applies glazes (thin layers of transparent paint) to give a translucent quality to his paintings. While technique is important, Goodman feels the final objective is the poetic portrayal of light, color, space and atmosphere creating what can be described as a symphony on canvas. |