Randi Parkhurst – The Art of the Unexpected

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By Giovanna Marcus

washington orthopaedic centerThe world of Randi Parkhurst is full of intricate and joyful surprises.

Everything Parkhurst does involves paper. From painting the paper, to making the boxes, windows, and drawers found in her work, she makes it all. Much of her material is recycled, and either free or low-cost, but you wouldn’t be able to tell by looking at her intricate sculptures. A local framer friend supplies her with scrap mat board and she buys cheap, plain butcher paper by the roll at the hardware store, which she then paints elegantly.

On a given day, Parkhurst is busy with a multitude of tasks—whether it be painstakingly sketching a new project, making components such as buttons or beads out of paper, building a demo (or three) of a new work, or completing the final iteration of a project started months before. She uses a German paper cutter to achieve cuts as precise as 1/64th of an inch.

randi parkhurst
Randi Parkhurst’s unique sculptures are part book, part magical architecture.

The long-time Olympia resident started by making paper in the 1970s, when she taught herself how to make marble paper like the Italians. Once she learned about the rare tradition of book arts, she knew what she wanted to do with the rest of her life, though at the time, she had no idea what it would look like.

Parkhurst’s love for book arts and paper led her down a non-traditional road making unique sculptures that are part book, part magical architecture. Her work is not easily categorized, which has posed a challenge in terms of the art world, but not for the wildly original art itself.

Without ever going to art school, Parkhurst has dedicated her life to becoming a full time artist. She starts in her bright green studio every morning at 7:00 a.m., puts on joyful dance music, and goes to work until 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon.

Her husband, a musician, shares the space with her. “We get along well because we understand that I need time alone. He’s very supportive and willing to go on this journey with me,” says Parkhurst.

She teaches once a month, either locally, at such places as Arbutus Folk School in downtown Olympia, or around the country at places like the San Francisco Center for the Book and the Morgan Art of Papermaking Conservatory in Cleveland.

“There’s a small, strong community,” says Parkhurst. Within the Puget Sound there’s a couple hundred members that hold annual meetings, auctions, exhibitions, classes, and sometimes have guest speakers.

randi parkhurst
Randi Parkhurst began marking paper in the 1970s.

The story of Tansu Gothic is as beautiful as it is haunting.

Just over 2 feet tall, Tansu Gothic is comprised of mat board, papers painted with acrylic, PVA adhesive, over 300 handmade pieces of hardware, over 800 metal brads, ribbon, linen thread, beads, wire, book cloth, matte medium, gesso, acrylic, pigment, and bamboo skewers.

Watch a video here to get a full visual on this piece of art.

The piece, started in 2012, took a year to make. “I work on impulse and then at some point the meaning reveals itself,” says the artist. It started with a love of Japanese cabinetry, and then she says that the piece turned to her and told her, “Oh, you want to be gothic.”

Parkhurst did research and came across the story of a raging fire that lasted three days and flattened much of Old Tokyo in 1657, with an estimated 2,000 people perishing in an attempt to save their Tansu cabinets—heavy, wheeled wooden chests with drawers that housed their most prized possessions. When the fires blazed, people dragged their carts from their straw and wooden houses and clogged the narrow streets, perishing. The tragedy prompted the city’s first fire plan which included paving the streets and cisterns.

randi parkhurst
Randi Parkhurst shares her studio with her husband who is a musician.

Tansu Gothic has a beauty and darkness that you wouldn’t expect. The unexpected is a major current in all of Parkhust’s work, whether it be secret compartments inside of drawers, or the experience of a viewer being able to walk into a gallery and handle the art. At her exhibits, Parkhurst can be found either giving out hand wipes, or standing back amused while she watches others discover her creations for the first time.

Parkhust’s next class is a beginning bookbinding class at Arbutus on February 7. Two days of instruction that includes pre-cut material to make five or six books to take home is a steal at $168. At the end of May Parkhurst is teaching a four day paper house workshop for $336.

Visit her website at http://www.parkhurstpaperarts.com/ to see more of her art and to contact her.

 

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