On View Talks with Kenton Parker

Kenton Parker’s work is about setting a stage for innocence, for steadfast friendship, for sharing and helping, for letting go and moving on. His tributes to friendship and first love take place in modestly scaled vernacular structures—a flower shop, a tree-house, a tool shed. In these structures, re-created in the gallery, Parker channels every child’s escapist fantasy of a hideaway, a special place in which they can dream, be themselves, invite their favorite friends, and be close to nature. The gentle life cycle of flowers and butterflies provides a mirror for the emotions and transitions of youth. For the familiar dramas of being close and then moving apart.