Courtesy Photo: Author and artist Kathy Parks reads from her autobiography
Marlene Conner
The Paw Print
Darwin, a small almost ghost town, hidden in the Mojave Desert is where Kathy Parks lived and learned about art and life; turning her into the strong, independent woman she is today. Seeing into Stone is her autobiography about how a young artist found her way and path in life -in a very unconventional way. On Tuesday, Dec. 6 in Alamosa, Kathy held a book reading and art show and answered questions. She was able to simply celebrate herself, her life, Gordon Newell and her most recent achievement- the book.
Being mentored by her uncle in law, Gordon Newell, a granite sculpture, she learned through doing not seeing. His methods were unusual and nothing close to a normal way of teaching. Newell taught Parks to embrace the wood and how it work with its flaws, not against them.
“Yes, flaws is one of the book’s themes, specifically how to work with flaws in a sculpture, how to work with flaws in a new marriage, and more personally, how to work with my own flawed vision, but while our culture tends to encourage us to shun or hide or avoid our flaws, be they flaws in appearance or family background or personality I think that one of the challenges in life is to embrace your flaws, go towards them (metaphorically speaking), learn from them, and even celebrate them. I’ve learned that if I approach them that way, they transform into gifts.” Newell never told Parks how or what to do he allowed her to find her own artists path; he simply gave her the tools to develop and become her own identity. She said “I’m often so hell-bent, focused, even driven, that I forget to back off and relax, give the sculpture (and me) time to settle, gestate, rest. He never pressured me to do anything, but by doing that, he held up a big mirror for me to see how much I pressure myself.” Through learning sculpture Parks learned many valuable life lessons, that most people never even think about in their own lives including patience, accepting flaws and that sometimes, less is more. “Sculpture is a metaphor for life: carve with the grain and not against it; keep your tools sharp; develop patience; see into the heart of things; slow down and enjoy the process; appreciate truth and beauty; breathe; find the form hiding inside, chip by chip” Parks said.
Kathy Parks’ presence today compared to how she describes her younger version in the book seems like two completely different people. She holds a calm and settling attitude, nothing like the impatient artist she described herself to once be. Seeing into Stone is not just a book about a young artist it is a story about a young women’s transformation and acceptance of herself and life.
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