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PHYLLIS PARUN
native to New Orleans, 30 year resident of Bywater, is a culturer par excellence, with a rich artistic and cultural European heritage, Phyllis expresses herself in a diversity of literary and studio mediums including poetry, essays, drawing, painting, sculpture, photography and film. Phyllis began a classical art education with her mother, a Louisiana teacher and graduate of LSUBR, and continued as a student of John McCrady in the 1950s. Her childhood classical art education and exposure to European art engendered a passion for the war years in Paris and Germany routing her to cave paintings and then to ancient Taoist Asia. On her trek through ancient shamanism, Phyllis conducted many painting and sculpture dialogues with major western and eastern masters of the early 20th century all of which is visible in her work.
And as an art community developer, she has been a part of the developing fabric of New Orleans since the 1960’s. From 1976-80 Phyllis served the New Orleans arts community as the Visual Arts Coordinator of the Artists' Information Bureau -- a position she created -- and as the Founding President of the Louisiana Chapter of the Artists' Equity Association and in the 1980’s she opened New Orleans' first fine and decorative arts studio. And Phyllis didn’t limit herself to studio arts. She ventured into every aspect of life that has been creatively possible in one lifetime. She has been an intimate part of enriching the culture and health of New Orleans from food coop organizing, the visual and literary arts, civil rights, macrobiotic/Asian healing arts. Aprés-déluge of 2005 as Acting President of both the Artists Equity Assn. of La. and the Women’s Caucus of Art of La., Phyllis put together 32 New Orleans visual artists, curating two exhibits to open in California and catalyzing a new art movement she and fellow artists naming it: Kataclysm. Phyllis Parun's artistic talent stands alone. She has no contemporaries. COMMENTARIES In 1965 while looking at a still life Phyllis executed in his school Mr. John McCrady had this to say, "I can almost hear that mask laughing aloud." John McCrady, Artist-Teacher "Phyllis Parun is an enviably talented artist who makes us aware of the sources of inspiration and the traditions in modern art that she is skillfully keeping alive." Roger Green, Art Critic Times Picayune "Phyllis Parun has emerged a truly multifaceted artist as she is a classicist both in the subjects she chooses and in her technique. Phyllis has the trained hand and eye required for achieving the ultimate purity of tonal color and grace of form Phyllis' work is ever fresh and each new piece of sculpture seems to grow out of yet another nourishing source." Maya Hackett, Washington Briefs |