ABOUT THE ARTIST 

                                   
              

                                                                                                                                     
Arlington, Virginia artist Sandi Parker works in oil, pastel and acrylic, specializing in impressionistic landscapes, seascapes, cityscapes, youth sports portraits and abstracts.  

She is on the Board of Directors of the Arlington Artists Alliance in Arlington, Virginia and is a member of the Art League in Alexandria, Virginia, Falls Church Arts in Falls Church, VA and the Rehoboth Art League in Rehoboth, Delaware. She was the Director of the Arlington Artists Alliance's juried gallery, Gallery Underground, in Arlington, VA from its inception in 2012 until her retirement in 2021, and is still an exhibiting member there. She exhibits at venues throughout Arlington, and at area art shows. She was accepted by jury for a solo show of abstract works, Urban Edge, at Gallery Underground in 2016 and again for a dual solo show of abstracts, Words Matter, in 2021. She was chosen for a large-scale public art installation by the National Landing Business Improvement District (NLBID) in Arlington for their public art project.  Her pieces Energie Violette I and Energie Violette II were enlarged to 10 feet by 10 feet and installed in Crystal City from 2016 - 2023.

 

                                                                                                                        

                                                                 Public Art Installation, 12th St & Army Navy Drive, Arlington VA

Artist's Statement

enjoy painting in different mediums and styles, working in both traditional impressionism and abstract. In my more traditional work, I have long enjoyed re-creating on canvas the beauty of landscapes found on national and international travels. I love painting the excitement and energy of cities in my cityscapes, especially New York and Washington DC, where I live. As an avid gardener, painting landscapes of gardens, and anything involving the brilliant hues of flowers brings me joy; and as a lifelong beach lover, in my seascapes I strive to create the serene mood through the colors of ocean and sky that I feel on summer beach vacations. I also became fascinated with painting portraits of youth sports when my son and daughter were on teams in school, and I continue to capture young people’s energy, drama and movement during games, matches and meets via commissions from parents.


My abstracts are particularly influenced by street art and graffiti, and sometimes by the texture of decaying urban walls. These pieces - mostly larger in scale - are done in acrylic, and are highly layered and textured. They often include other media such as graphite pencil, oil crayon, metal leaf, collaging, and photo transfer techniques. I use a variety of non-brush tools such as palette knives, putty knives and sandpaper. My most recent abstracts, my "Words Matter" series, incorporate inspirational messages and quotations. I have also done commissions of canvases mimicking graffiti-covered walls, personalized to the client's specifications with meaningful names, dates, etc., all done in graffiti style.

My home studio in Arlington is my happy place, and I can frequently be found there at my easel, in summer with the windows open overlooking my garden and bird feeder, and in winter with a fire going and a cat or two at my feet.      

                                                                       
Awards

2019    Third Place, A Day at the Beach
            FIRE EARTH AIR WATER

            Arlington Artists Alliance juried exhibition
            Juror: Nancy Pane Fortwengler, Fine Artist and President, Art League of Alexandria

2018    Best in Show, Ohio Sunset
            
The Power of Nature
            Arlington Artists Alliance juried exhibition
            Juror: Lilian Thomas Burwell, famed Washington DC sculptor and painter
             
2016    Honorable Mention, One City, One World
            
Art League monthly juried exhibition, September
            Juror: Amy Klainer, studio artist, designer, and art jeweler based in Towson, MD.

2015    Honorable Mention, It Doesn't End Here
            
Art In City Hall Juried Show (Art League, Del Ray Artisans,
            Alexandria Commission for the Arts)
            Juror: Frank Phillips, Director/Curator, Angie Newman Johnson Gallery


2012    Best in Show, Crosswords Under the Cherry Blossoms
            Washington Examiner "Capitol View" Juried Show
            Juror: Liz Wolf


2011    Honorable Mention, Cheering From The Dugout
           
Art In City Hall Juried Show (Art League, Del Ray Artisans,
           Alexandria Commission for the Arts)
           Juror: Ginger Hammer, National Gallery of Art Washington DC

 

2009    Third Place, Hong Kong Marketplace
            Arlington Artists Alliance "East Meets West" Juried Show
            Juror:  Wilford Scott, National Gallery of Art Washington DC

2007    Honorable Mention, Darke County, Ohio
            
Art League monthly juried exhibition, October
            Juror: Marlene Rothacker, International Arts & Artists,
            Washington DC 

 
Solo Shows

2021   Words Matter (dual show)
           Gallery Underground, Arlington, VA

2016   Urban Edge
           
Gallery Underground, Arlington, VA 

2012    Spring Into Summer
            Westover Library, Arlington, VA

2011    inMOTION: celebrating arlington high school athletics
           Cassatt's Cafe and Gallery, Arlington, VA; Westover Library,
           Arlington, VA; Curves, Falls Church, VA; Cosi Cafe, Arlington, VA

2007   Landscapes and Little League
           Century 21 Gallery, Arlington, VA  


Selected Juried Exhibitions - Work Accepted:

2023        "Luminous"
                Falls Church Arts, Falls Church, VA
                Juror: Tara Barr, artist

2023        "Street Life: Real Life Reimagined"
                 Falls Church Arts, Falls Church, VA
                 Juror: Adam Odomore, artist

2023        April Juried Show
                The Art League, Arlington, VA
                Juror: Mike Morgan

2022        "Scapes"
                 National Juried Show
                 Falls Church Arts, Falls Church, VA
                 Juror: Bryan Jernigan, artist and instructor

2022        "Tell Me Your Secret"
                 National Juried Show
                 LibertyTown Arts Workshop, Fredericksburg, VA 

2022        "Black and White"
                 Member Juried Show
                 Falls Church Arts, Falls Church, VA
                 Juror: Bev Ryan, artist and instructor

2021        "Magic of the Ordinary"
                National Juried Show
                Gallery Underground, Arlington, VA
                Juror: Lois Wolford, Watercolor artist

2020      "Seasons: Summer"
               Rehoboth Art League, Rehoboth, Delaware
               Juror: Brooke Hedge, Fine Art Photographer                

2019      "FIRE EARTH AIR WATER"
              Arlington Artists Alliance Juried Show 
              Gallery Underground, Arlington, VA
              Juror: Nancy Pane Fortwengler, Fine Artist and President, Art League of Alexandria
              Winner, 3rd Place, "A Day at the Beach"
               
2019      "RISK"
              National Juried Show
              Gallery Underground, Arlington, VA
              Juror: Allen Bentley, Artist and instructor, Montgomery College

2019      "Signs of the Times"
              National Juried Show
              Gallery Clarendon, Arlington, VA
              Juror: Beverly Ryan, Artist and Instructor, Art League School

2018       "The Power of Nature"
               Arlington Artists Alliance Juried Show
               Gallery Underground, Arlington, VA
               Juror: Lilian Thomas Burwell, famed Washington DC sculptor and painter
               Winner, Best in Show, "Ohio Sunset"

2017       "This is America"
               National Juried Show
               Gallery Underground, Arlington, VA
               Juror: Marsha Staiger, Artist and Instructor, Art League School

2017        "Doubt"
                Juried Show
                The Art League, Alexandria, VA
                Juror: Jason Gubbiotti, Artist

2017       "Culture Shock" National Juried Show
               Target Gallery, Arlington, VA 
               Juror: Mojdeh Rezaeipour, Artist and NPR Storyteller
               
2017       "Around the World" 
               Arlington Artists Alliance Juried Show
               Gallery Underground, Arlington, VA
              

2017      "Resist" National Juried Show
               Zenith Gallery (Washington DC) and Busboys and Poets (Shirlington, Washington DC and Arlington, VA)
               Jurors: Carol Rhodes Dyson, Art Administrator, Educator and Curator; Margery Goldberg, Zenith Gallery
               Owner/Curator and Celinda Lake, Pollster and Political Strategist for Progressives. 

2016     "Art as Politics" National Juried Show
              Touchstone Gallery, Washington, DC 
              Juror: Jayme McLellan, Director/Founder, Civilian Art Projects

2015     "Hiding in Plain Sight" Juried Show
              Arlington Artists Alliance
              Gallery Underground
              Juror: Jean Gill, artist, AWS, NWS

2015      "Art in City Hall" Juried Show
              Honorable Mention, It Doesn't End Here
              The Art League, Alexandria, VA
              Juror, Frank Phillips, Director/Curator, Angie Newman Johnson Gallery

2014     "World Aesthetic" Juried Show
             Arlington Artists Alliance
             Gallery Underground
             Juror:  Alice Kale, artist, VWS, BWS, PVW

2013    "Walk on the Wild Side" Juried Show
             Arlington Artists Alliance
             Gallery Underground
             Juror:  DeAnna Boling, artist, PSA, AFCF

2012    "Capital View" Juried Show
            The Washington Examiner
            Juror: Liz Wolf, Faculty, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
             Winner, Best in Show, "Crosswords Under the Cherry Blossoms"


2011    "Art in City Hall" Juried Show (3 pieces accepted)
            The Art League, Del Ray Artisans and Torpedo Factory Artists Association, Alexandria, Virginia
            Juror:  Ginger Hammer, Nat'l Gallery of Art, Washington DC     
            Winner, Honorable Mention, "Cheering From the Dugout"  
 

2010    "Art in City Hall" Juried Show (2 pieces accepted)
            The Art League, Del Ray Artisans and Torpedo Factory Artists Association
            Alexandria, Virginia
            Juror:  Liz Vorlicek, Co-curator, Angie Newman Johnson
            Gallery       
 

2010    "Reflecting Women's Wellness 2010" Juried Show
             Women's Health Virginia
             In conjunction with "Minds Wide Open: Virginia celebrates Women in the Arts"
             Richmond, Virginia
             Jurors: Andrea Douglas, Curator of Collections and Exhibits, University of Virginia Art Museum;
             Maggie Guggenheimer, Executive Director, Piedmont  Council for the Arts;
             Holly Morrison, Chair, Dept. of Painting and Printmaking, Virginia Commonwealth University

2010    "HerStory" Juried Show
             In conjunction with "Minds Wide Open: Virginia Celebrates Women in the Arts"
             The Art League, Alexandria, Virginia
             Juror: Barbara Ratchko, Artist           

2010    "La Femme" Juried Show
             In conjunction with "Minds Wide Open: Virginia Celebrates Women in the Arts"
             Arlington Artists Alliance, Arlington, Virginia
             Cassatt's Cafe and Gallery
             Juror: Kathrin Halpern, Smithsonian Art Collectors Program
 

2009    "Art in City Hall: Our Town" Juried Show
             The Art League, Del Ray Artisans and Torpedo Factory Artists Association
             City Hall, Alexandria, Virginia
             Juror: Chris Haggerty, Professor of Art, Marymount University  
 

2009    "Point of View" Juried Show
             Margaret W. and Joseph L. Fisher Gallery, Alexandria, Virginia
             Juror: Linda Hafer, Executive Director, The Art League, Alexandria, VA

2009    "East Meets West" Juried Show
             Arlington Artists Alliance, Arlington, Virginia
             Century 21 Gallery
             Juror: Wilford Scott, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
             Winner, Honorable Mention, "Hong Kong Marketplace"

2008    "Art in City Hall" Biannual Juried Show
             The Art League, Del Ray Artisans and Torpedo Factory Artists Association
             City Hall, Alexandria, Virginia
             Juror: Beth Baldwin, DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Washington, DC 

2007    "Irreplaceable Hue" Juried Show
             Arlington Artists Alliance, Arlington, VA
             Cassatts Cafe and Gallery
             Juror: Sam Gilliam, renowned Color School artist, Washington, DC 
 

Memberships   

Arlington Artists Alliance, Arlington, VA 
The Art League, Alexandria, VA
Falls Church Arts, Falls Church, VA
Rehoboth Art League, Rehoboth, Delaware