Waterton Lakes National Park and the Ranch Lands of South Western Alberta are
exceptional for their natural beauty, topography, weather conditions, flora and
fauna. Randolph Parker spent the early part of July exploring the area for visual
inspiration and came away with enough to last for years.
Told by staff at Master’s Gallery, it would take two and a half hours to drive from
Calgary to Waterton Lakes, it actually took Parker nine hours. “ The beauty along
the Cowboy Trail heading south was so impressive I had to stop every few
kilometers to take photographs “ says Parker.
The Wild Flower Festival, at the park, was just beginning as he arrived and the
weather was fantastic. Blue skies with a variety of cloud patterns greeted everyday,
creating a complexity and drama to an already stunning landscape. Hundreds of
photographs were taken as reference material related to the experience of the area.
As Parker has said, “ Sometimes you see a fantastic composition in front of you but
the best lighting effect is behind you “.
After a few days of hiking he headed north to join long time art dealer and friend,
Rod Green from the Masters Gallery, at a ranch near Twin Butte. Green had
arranged through the generosity of the ranch owner for Parker to explore the area
with a fantastic and knowledgable guide.
For the next few days the land was traversed from creek beds to mountain sides.
Vistas were viewed many times and contemplated under a variety of light
conditions, all in an effort to understand the area.
Parker stated “ It is difficult to describe the joy and awe of walking on that land
without waxing poetic.
Suffice it to say, this visual artist was thrilled to be there and is looking forwarded to
creating paintings reflecting its vastness and complexity ”.
Masters Gallery will show these new works, from the amazing South West corner of
Alberta, as they become available.