Michael Parkes Bronze Sculptures

Michael Parkes has a high degree of sensitivity to the special qualities and requirements of each individual medium he uses, whether it be drawing, painting or sculpting. His sculptures are more robust and more substantial than the slender elegance of his drawn and painted women of beauty. The sense that the sculptures created by Michael Parkes actually exist in real life is very strong; you may have never encountered a person or a creature like this, but the evidence of their weight and substance is so convincing that who can doubt they really exist somewhere. For Michael Parkes, his sculptures are intended to be self-sufficient individual works of art. They carry a special weightless quality and character. They are uplifting and seem counter to the very solid medium of bronze. Parkes uses the ancient “Lost Wax” bronze casting method – a medium that has withstood the test of time, visually telling the tale of past cultures, their religions and their social structures. The bronze castings of today are essentially the same method as was used for over 4,000 years. This timeless bronze sculpting technique is somehow reflected in the timelessness of his art.