Monotype print, 2023
Sun Dog is a tonal black monoprint created during the winter of 2023. Drawing inspiration from the atmospheric optical phenomenon known as a sun dog, Parson’s artwork captures the essence of her upbringing in central Saskatchewan, where she first encountered these celestial displays. The print showcases the intricate beauty of two sun dogs flanking the Sun within a 22° halo. Beyond their visual allure, Parson imbues her artworks with a deeper allegorical meaning. Sun Dog symbolizes the profound connection between Earth and the Sun, inviting viewers to contemplate humanity's evolving understanding of the natural world.
Bea Parsons is a printmaker, drawer, and painter, originally from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, now living and working in Montreal. She holds a BFA from Concordia University (Montréal) and an MFA from Columbia University (New York). She is a full-time professor of painting and drawing at Concordia. In her practice, she has focused primarily on black-and-white monoprints and, recently, coloured pencil drawings on archival paper. Her haunting and seductive world is filled with characters, landscapes, and symbols culled from a wide variety of sources, from the personal, to the esoteric, to the art-historical. A highly recognizable and intimate style of graphic and abstracted motifs congregates in these compositions, creating a pleasurable and emotionally charged pictorial atmosphere.
Parsons has recently had solo exhibitions at Franz Kaka in Toronto and Tappeto Volante in New York City. Her works have been acquired by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the Musée d’art de Joliette, Hydro-Québec, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Royal Bank of Canada, Scotiabank, and Equitable Bank.