In the hands of Peninsula mixed media artist Whitney Alyssa Parker, torn painted paper is transformed into dreamy landscapes, with soft colors and eye-catching shapes and dimensions. Parker describes her work as “sewn abstract art,” as her process involves finishing her pieces with sewing machine stitches, blending aspects of collage, painting and fiber art, with the stitch lines fluidly guiding the viewer’s eye.
“It creates a lot of depth and movement and different texture throughout the artwork,” she said.
Parker’s journey to her current career as an artist has its roots in her background in fashion design. During the pandemic, she lost her job in the bridal industry. At the same time, Parker and her husband had just bought a home in Redwood City, and she was excited to have a space she could fill with unique, original art. With more free time than she’d been used to and a desire for a change of creative pace, she decided to try her hand at making some art of her own.
“I’ve always loved crafting and projects and creating,” she said. She was inspired by an abstract painting she’d seen, and tried to paint something on canvas with a similar style but was dissatisfied with her first attempt.
Parker tried some more ideas out on paper, finding that she liked parts more than the whole. So she tore the paper, holding one piece against the canvas to visualize how the different elements would look together.
“Oh, now this kind of looks like mountains with this backdrop of a sky,” she recalled thinking.
When she studied fashion design in college, one of her first classes was technical sewing, in which she practiced sewing on paper. Years later, with her sewing machine already out thanks to a different project she’d been working on, she got the idea to stitch the pieces of her paintings together, creating something new.
“It just made me think, ‘Oh, maybe I can bring in my background a little more to what I’m doing,’ and I just sort of haphazardly went to town, like, all over the piece,” she said with a laugh. While her work in the years since has become much more refined, she said she still enjoys looking back at that first artwork, in which she discovered her signature sewn style.
She posted a photo of her work on her personal Instagram account and was heartened by the positive responses, which got her thinking that perhaps she was on to something. She opened a designated social media account, made more pieces and quickly had people asking if they could buy them, and if she’d create custom artworks.
That provided her the encouragement she needed to continue, giving her a vision of expanding from acrylic paint, paper and gold and silver leaf to experimenting with adding other media, such as watercolor, as she developed her techniques further.
As she grew artistically, she also threw herself into learning about marketing, building a website that launched in late 2021.
“I did a collection of small works that almost sold out in the first couple of days,” she recalled. “I think that’s what I needed in the beginning, those things continuing to say, ‘You’re moving in the right direction.’ That was all in the first year, and it’s been slow and steady ever since.”
Occasionally, she’s created pieces that included special materials, such as weaving in a bit of lace from a great-grandmother’s gown in a wedding piece and, in one poignant work, a part of the commissioner’s recently deceased mother’s blanket.
“It was interesting how powerful it was, even for me when I was making it,” she said. “I think that was a beautiful kind of way to remember her.”
She sometimes works off of photos or makes sketches beforehand, but her process varies from piece to piece.
“My work is very organic, so I do have to play around with it,” she said.
In addition to commissioned works and pieces she sells directly, Parker now participates in select art festivals and works with some art consultant companies, making works for companies and organizations including Kaiser, for which she recently created a large work. She’s also developed a self-paced, four-hour online course for others interested in trying out her techniques for themselves.
Parker opens her very first solo gallery exhibition July 4 at M Stark Gallery in Half Moon Bay. The exhibition runs through Aug. 17, with an artist reception on Sunday, July 13, from 1-4 p.m. and an artist talk on Aug. 1 at 5 p.m.
Parker titled the collection “California Dreamscape” as a tribute to the gorgeous scenery of the Golden State, which inspires much of her artwork. Her “Along 280,” for example, evokes the vibe of the glorious West Coast scenery that can be seen while cruising down the freeway.
Parker was born and raised in the South (South Carolina, then Georgia). She and her husband, who graduated from Stanford University, moved around a lot before settling back in California permanently in 2016, first in Menlo Park and then in Redwood City, where they’re raising their two young daughters.
“We’ve been so happy with the community,” she said. “I feel like I’ve grown so much as a person being here, and I never take for granted all we get to see at all times.”
The artwork included in the “California Dreamscape” exhibition reflects her appreciation for the journey that’s brought her to the Peninsula and to her current path as an artist.
“It’s a little bit of a nod and an homage and a thank you to all that surrounds us here, and all of California,” she said.
“California Dreamscape” is on view July 4-Aug. 17 at M Stark Gallery, 727 Main St., Half Moon Bay; 415-407-8743, Instagram: @mstarkgallery. Artist reception July 13, 1-4 p.m.; artist talk Aug. 1 at 5 p.m. Gallery open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 4, Saturdays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sundays 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and from 4-6 p.m. during the First Fridays Art Walk; by appointment only Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. More information on Whitney Alyssa Parker is available at artbywhitneyalyssa.com; Instagram: @artbywhitneyalyssa.
