ABOUT THE ARTIST
Accepting Honorable Mention award for "Floating"
Arlington, Virginia artist Sandi Parker works in oil, pastel and acrylic, specializing in impressionistic landscapes, seascapes, cityscapes, youth sports portraits and abstracts.
She is on the Board of Directors of the Arlington Artists Alliance in Arlington, Virginia and is a member of the Art League in Alexandria, Virginia, Falls Church Arts in Falls Church, VA and the Rehoboth Art League in Rehoboth, Delaware. She was the Director of the Arlington Artists Alliance's juried gallery, Gallery Underground, in Arlington, VA from its inception in 2012 until her retirement in 2021. She exhibits at venues throughout Arlington, and at area art shows. She was accepted by jury for a solo show of abstract works, Urban Edge, at Gallery Underground in 2016 and again for a dual solo show of abstracts, Words Matter, in 2021. She was chosen for a large-scale public art installation by the National Landing Business Improvement District (NLBID) in Arlington for their public art project. Her pieces Energie Violette I and Energie Violette II were enlarged to 10 feet by 10 feet and installed in Crystal City from 2016 - 2023.
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Public Art Installation, 12th St & Army Navy Drive, Arlington VA
Artist's Statement
I enjoy painting in different mediums and styles, working in both traditional impressionism and abstract. In my more traditional work, I have long enjoyed re-creating on canvas the beauty of landscapes found on national and international travels. I love painting the excitement and energy of cities in my cityscapes, especially New York and Washington DC, where I live. As an avid gardener, painting landscapes of gardens, and anything involving the brilliant hues of flowers brings me joy; and as a lifelong beach lover, in my seascapes I strive to create the serene mood through the colors of ocean and sky that I feel on summer beach vacations. I also became fascinated with painting portraits of youth sports when my son and daughter were on teams in school, and I continue to capture young people’s energy, drama and movement during games, matches and meets via commissions from parents.
My abstracts are particularly influenced by street art and graffiti, and sometimes by the texture of decaying urban walls. These pieces - mostly larger in scale - are done in acrylic, and are highly layered and textured. They often include other media such as graphite pencil, oil crayon, metal leaf, collaging, and photo transfer techniques. I use a variety of non-brush tools such as palette knives, putty knives and sandpaper. My most recent abstracts, my "Words Matter" series, incorporate inspirational messages and quotations. I have also done commissions of canvases mimicking graffiti-covered walls, personalized to the client's specifications with meaningful names, dates, etc., all done in graffiti style.
My home studio in Arlington is my happy place, and I can frequently be found there at my easel, in summer with the windows open overlooking my garden and bird feeder, and in winter with a fire going and a cat or two at my feet.
Awards
2024 Honorable Mention, Floating
Locally Sourced
Alliance Gallery Juried Exhibition
Juror: Yigit Cakar
2019 Third Place, A Day at the Beach
FIRE EARTH AIR WATER
Arlington Artists Alliance juried exhibition
Juror: Nancy Pane Fortwengler, Fine Artist and President, Art League of Alexandria
2018 Best in Show, Ohio Sunset
The Power of Nature
Arlington Artists Alliance juried exhibition
Juror: Lilian Thomas Burwell, famed Washington DC sculptor and painter
2016 Honorable Mention, One City, One World
Art League monthly juried exhibition, September
Juror: Amy Klainer, studio artist, designer, and art jeweler based in Towson, MD.
2015 Honorable Mention, It Doesn't End Here
Art In City Hall Juried Show (Art League, Del Ray Artisans,
Alexandria Commission for the Arts)
Juror: Frank Phillips, Director/Curator, Angie Newman Johnson Gallery
2012 Best in Show, Crosswords Under the Cherry Blossoms
Washington Examiner "Capitol View" Juried Show
Juror: Liz Wolf
2011 Honorable Mention, Cheering From The Dugout
Art In City Hall Juried Show (Art League, Del Ray Artisans,
Alexandria Commission for the Arts)
Juror: Ginger Hammer, National Gallery of Art Washington DC
2009 Third Place, Hong Kong Marketplace
Arlington Artists Alliance "East Meets West" Juried Show
Juror: Wilford Scott, National Gallery of Art Washington DC
2007 Honorable Mention, Darke County, Ohio
Art League monthly juried exhibition, October
Juror: Marlene Rothacker, International Arts & Artists,
Washington DC
Solo Shows
2024 Seasons in Art, A journey Through Nature's Palette
Shirlington Library, Arlington, VA
2021 Words Matter
Gallery Underground, Arlington, VA
2016 Urban Edge
Gallery Underground, Arlington, VA
2012 Spring Into Summer
Westover Library, Arlington, VA
2011 inMOTION: celebrating arlington high school athletics
Cassatt's Cafe and Gallery, Arlington, VA; Westover Library,
Arlington, VA; Curves, Falls Church, VA; Cosi Cafe, Arlington, VA
2007 Landscapes and Little League
Century 21 Gallery, Arlington, VA
Memberships
Arlington Artists Alliance, Arlington, VA
The Art League, Alexandria, VA
Falls Church Arts, Falls Church, VA
Rehoboth Art League, Rehoboth, Delaware