Why MARY PARKER? Well, that is a story but it is true. I had an aunt and her maiden name was MARY PARKER BROWN. She was a brilliant personality in many respects. She had a grand since of humor. She could be funny in the most unusual ways and in the most unusual places at unpredictable times. A bright light in any group, a beacon as an individual. Strong willed. Defiant. Opinionated. Educated. She had exceptionally good taste. She was not someone with whom you wanted to lock horns with or have an opinion of great difference with. She was both a delight and sometimes a fright but always strong and memorable. She was not a shy person. She was a person who would step forward without hesitation if she believed in something. Got the picture. She was this way all her life and she lived that way into her 90’s.
I had reached a place in my career where I needed to evolve my abilities. I needed to create new looks and reach new markets and in order to do that I would have to create in a manner that I never had done before. I was so inhibited by the requirement that I just could not bring myself to show my new efforts at professional shows. Coincidentally, I was visiting with her during the last days of her life. I subtly reveled my hesitation. Before I even spoke of the depth of my inhibition, she responds with a refrain I had heard from her countless times before when she was younger. It was with the same vigor and the same force. “For Heavens sake, don’t be ridiculous. You go out there and hold your head up high and do what you do.” That was the end of the conversation regarding my very deep feelings. She never heard it.
It was because of this special woman that I gathered up the courage. I used her name, MARY PARKER, to freely create these characters for Christmas, Halloween, Easter and many other occasions. I had never painted this way or thought of these characters in any of my art work prior to the development of this portfolio. I used her courage to build my work. I licensed this work with wonderful success and this MARY PARKER PORTFOLIO became the larger part of The Edith Collection.