Olivia Parker

Olivia Parker

After graduating from Wellesley College in 1963 with a degree in 'Art History', she then began pursuing her career as a painter. Her photography interest occurred in 1970 which was mostly self-taught and conducted in her own studio. Olivia Parker's photographs are basically still life inspired by those painted in the traditional 17th century Dutch, Flemish and Spanish style, with their luxurious but imperfect fruit and incredible insects and torn petals. Even though Parker photographs objects, whether alive or dead, are still signs of still life. 

In her most of her 'Still Life' images, Olivia Parker used a Canon 24-105mm 2.8 lens and a Canon 50mm macro lens. She processed with an Apple computer using Adobe Photoshop, she also did her own printing on Epson Ultrasmooth Fine Art paper using an Epson 7600 printer. The ink was Epson archival pigment ink and prints are either 22" x 33" or 22" x 14 2/3". 

http://oliviaparker.com/blog/?page_id=12

The images I have selected to show of 'Olivia Parker's' work are simple yet effective. 

The 'four pea's' produce an image which is full of texture, different tones and shapes. The lighting is high key which creates small shadows at the end of each pod, which suggests that the light was positioned behind the pea's. The composition, even though the pea's have been positioned in one line, next to each other, is simple yet effective. I believe this creates a sense of precision and order. 

This image is very different from all the other photographs Olivia Parker captures. This is a photograph of dried rose, however it doesn't contain the simplicity of her other images. It does contain random patterns, complex shapes however it has a less contrasting tone. I believe it doesn't look like it was taken in the studio and was painted on a canvas. 

The sense of order continues into the next shot, that of snail shells in a wooden box. the box is divided into eight compartments and the shells arranged in a random order in each compartment. The high contrasting tones between black and white create texture in interest in the picture and the round shapes of the shells contrast with the square boxes in which they are contained.