Jim Park : The Oil Pastelist

On view 15 November 2019 - 26 January 2020 in the East Gallery
ARTIST STATEMENT
Oil pastel is my primary medium of expression and I love exploring its versatility and color interaction. Textural buildup are important aspects to my working process and as one looks closely at my paintings you will discover a myriad of color layering and scratch marks. These help to create mystery that pulls the viewer into the image, hopefully transporting them to a time and place that is peaceful. The calmness within my work is there to help one find the joy of life. These surface sensitivities are “happy accidents” and are subtle metaphors for living—they are our journey, our nicks, bumps and bruises that create our character and show our
personality.
Jim Park is a Professor of Drawing and Illustration at MSUM. With Lynn, his wife, and their four
children, they love the outdoors and spend as much time as possible in nature enjoying the
healing solus Mother Earth provides.
Exhibitions and operations are supported in part by the generous support of the following regional, state, and local entities:
This activity is funded by The Arts Partnership,
with support from the Cities of Fargo, Moorhead and West Fargo.
This activity is funded in part by a grant from the Lake Region Arts Council through a Minnesota state legislative appropriation.
This project is supported in part by a grant from the North Dakota Council on the Arts, which receives funding from the state legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.
The Rourke Art Gallery + Museum
521 Main Avenue
​Moorhead, MN 56560
​
Tel. 218.236.8861
© 2020 The Rourke Art Gallery + Museum