October 2011

City Art in Columbia, SC, Features Works by Patrick Parise

City Art in Columbia, SC, will present the exhibit, Looking Back, featuring paintings by Columbia artist Patrick Parise, on view from Oct. 6 - Nov. 12, 2011. A reception will be held on Oct. 6, from 6-8pm.

A look at Parise’s body of work reveals a great deal about the artist’s life and the passion that inspires him. His bold use of color and strong compositional elements convey the intense beauty the artist sees in the world around him. With a full range of real to surreal, soft to bold, concrete to abstract, Parise’s paintings invite the viewer to join his journey and awaken a desire to pursue the beautiful with themselves.

Parise said, “An artist’s language is sometimes sensual, sometimes bold, sometimes spiritual, always the result of felt experiences. My art comes from many directions and life experiences, and the mysteries behind them.”

Parise’s personal journey as an artist began in his childhood. Born in Brooklyn, NY, he showed an aptitude for art from an early age. In high school the young artist developed his drawing, painting and composition skills. He went on to study fine art at Bethany College in Salina, KS, and then continued at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, where he became interested in printmaking. After finishing his studio art courses at the University, Parise purchased a Charles Brandt Etching Press and opened his own etching studio where he started making original prints. During this period, Parise had several important commissions that would move him towards a full-time career as an artist/printmaker. However, in an effort to broaden his artistic endeavors Parise began to paint, which remains his primary focus today.

Parise’s path led him to a wide range of subject matter. One canvas may depict the softly curving lines of the coastal landscape and the next might show a dynamic abstract composition. All of Parise’s work invites the viewer to join in the adventure of life. “I start a story with each piece I create,” Parise says, “but I allow the viewer to join me in finishing the story with his or her own experiences and emotions.” For his part of the story Parise employs bold colors and reduces the scene to its most elemental and powerful components. Each painting vibrates with artistic energy and color, entertaining the eye and the mind. “I want to create paintings that convey the mystery and the journey,” the artist says, “but also the feeling of joy.”

Numerous accomplishments include Parise’s selection, among international artists, as the monthly winner of “Your Studio Competition,” Saatchi Gallery, London, England. He was chosen to provide 150 etchings depicting South Carolina scene for gifts to foreign dignitaries presented by the SC State Development Board. Parise created seventy-one etchings for a twenty-five-room guesthouse at Houndslake Country Club in Aiken, SC. His work was selected to be awarded by the South Carolina Joint Legislative Committee on Cultural Affairs to fourteen South Carolina businesses recognized for their contributions to and support of the arts in South Carolina. Parise participation in the “Palmetto Tree Project” with the Cultural Council of Richland and Lexington Counties of South Carolina brought the second-highest purchase price at auction by Sotheby’s of Chicago, Illinois. Parise’s art has received acclaim on the local, regional, and national levels as well as abroad, and his works are included in museum, corporate and private collections.

City Art Gallery is located in the historic Congaree Vista area in Columbia.

For further information check our SC Commercial Gallery listings, call Wendyth Wells at 803/252-3613 or visit (www.cityartonline.com).

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