Richard Parker

His & Hers, 2016
Mixed media on canvas
Two panels at 24 x 24 inches each
Courtesy of the artist

In His & Hers, Richard Parker elucidates the relationship between his painting practice and his tattoo art practice; the artist and the subject of his work; and the relationship between the tattoo artist and his client. Created in response to the work of Addam Yekutieli, also on view here, His & Hers shows the relationship between the artist and tattoo design as a creative dependency in the form of a living media. 

His & Hers features the hand of the tattoo artist holding the tool of his trade on the left, and a sample of the tattoo artist’s work on the right. Parker’s painting also reveals some extent to which each media and process overlap or inform each other. Whereas painting informs his use of color in ink, for example, his tattoo technique informs his use of line and shading in his paintings. Both share in their use of large areas of color. Drawing from popular culture, the visual arts and the everyday culture of the tattoo studio, Parker’s meta self-portrait presents an exploration of the ritual of tattooing and the communication of ideas through painting. 
Presented at Think Before You Ink Tatoo Studio, 167-16 Hillside Avenue, 2nd Fl., Jamaica, NY 11432