When Rolf Parker moved to the West Cumbrian town of Cockermouth in 1994 to establish his own gallery, it was with ten years previous experience as a professional artist , working to commission and supplying galleries in northern England. Born 1960 in Stockton-on-Tees to parents keen on Lake District fellwalking, his work reflects a love of the landscape, the effects of weather, light and shade.
His catalogue of aquatint etchings includes a few subjects from Northumberland but focuses mainly upon the landscapes of Western Cumbria, plus a selection of Cockermouth street scenes. The etchings are produced in strictly limited editions, each copy being hand-printed, numbered and signed by the artist. The restrained use of subtle colour in the inking-up of the plates emphasises the effect of light and shade in these collectable images. Because the plates are inked - up freshly for every print, and due to the creative variations possible in the ''wiping out'' process prior to printing, no two copies are ever identical.
His linocuts are made with usually four blocks to maximise the possible combinations of overprinted translucent colours. They feature brighter colours than the etchings with a bolder design reminiscent of the look of some railway posters, editions of 50 or 60 non-identical prints.
Rolf Parker studied at Teesside College of Art (1978 -''79) and Lanchester Polytechnic in Coventry (1979 - ''82) (B.A.hons.degree in fine art). He has exhibited at the Great Print exhibition at Rheged and as a guest at Lake Artists Society summer exhibition.
" I am a traditional artist in that my work is based on observation combined with inspiration. I take pleasure in trying to analyse and understand the forms and colours I see, (particularly in a landscape) and in describing my interpretation on paper. I'm happiest when the resulting picture has an accuracy and authenticity together with some feeling. If this makes me an illustrator then I am happy with that description. Often drama and depth can be created just by paying attention to the effects of light and shade, so I often look for that in choosing a subject. I like pictures to show a dynamic element; this is a kind of marriage between the movements or gestures you make when drawing and the overall character of the shapes you're looking at. These can be things such as the shape of a tree growing up in a westerly wind, clouds, geology that reflects volcanic origins combined with the effects of ice age scouring, or just the shapes people make when walking, I prefer picures that aren't too 'fiddly' but show some sense of movement that comes from the kind of shorthand you have to use when sketching.
My artistic influences must include the work of the Heaton-Coopers, Van Gogh, impressionism, Cotman's watercolours, JW Waterhouse, Vermeer, many more too numerous to mention. I also grew up admiring the illustrators EH Shepard, John Tenniel and Tove Jansson."
Apart from etching and lino printing his medium of choice is pastel ,(preferring to use those made by Unison Colour) - see the ''Pastel Gallery'' page for examples of these paintings. He frequently works to commission in this medium ( see ''Commissions'' page).
