Elaine Parks ( She/Her )

Elaine has a keen interest in the quiet vitality of the desert landscape and has developed her recognition of subtlety that she translates into form. Elaine creates objects that feel at once familiar yet unexpected. Drawing inspiration from a range of natural sources, she uses repeated forms, structured irregularity, and layers of texture that reflect nature’s organized chaos. Elaine imagines the desert landscape through time, once under water and now arid. The desert asks for patience to notice life that often exists on the edge of perception, Elaine wants to bring this quality into focus for others: that the viewer experiences a spark of familiarity and that the landscape stirs to life in the imagination.

Elaine is a ceramicist and sculptor, from Los Angeles. She received her MFA from California State University, Los Angeles. In 1999 Parks moved from a town of 14 million to Tuscarora, Nevada, a town of 14 people. She currently divides her time between Reno and Tuscarora, Nevada.

In Nevada, Elaine was recently commissioned to make a series of ceramic sculptures for Deep Time: Sea Dragons of Nevada for the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno. Her work has been exhibited at the Northwest Reno Library, Nevada Museum of Art, Oats Park Art Center, Marjorie Barrick Museum, Sierra Arts and The Holland Project. Elaine taught art for seven years at Great Basin College in Elko and twice received the Nevada Arts Council Fellowship Award.

In Los Angeles, Elaine has recently shown at Ronald Silverman Gallery, Cal State LA and Neo LA Gallery. Elaine has also participated three times in Telephone, an international game of art, whispered around the world. In 2010, Elaine curated and hosted a pop-up exhibition with 24 artists, music and performance events called pLAyLAnd. Nationally and internationally, Elaine was part of LA Contraventions in Germany, Cryptographics: a tribute to the Voynich Manuscript at the EXPO Chicago and designed sets and costumes for Cabaret Revoltaire: 100 Years of Dada, a performance event at ArtShareLA. Elaine exhibited in Los Angeles at LA Artcore, Far Bazaar, Angels Gate Cultural Center, L2Kontemporary, Antebellum Gallery and Beyond Baroque.