Royal Cheetah, - Michael Parkes
Royal Cheetah is a limited-edition fine art print on vellum by artist Michael Parkes created in collaboration with master printer Marcel Salome.
"I am particularly fond of Cheetahs as they are the oldest of the cat family on earth", says artist Michael Parkes. "As early at 3,000 BC they were caught, tamed, and kept by humans. The early Egyptians considered them as one of their gods and they became a symbol of royalty. Hence, the name of this drawing is 'The Royal Cheetah'."
"I decided to use the 'Rondo' for this portrait. Renaissance portrait painters used this popular format meaning simply 'in the round'. It emotes a sense of stability, calmness and timelessness. I wanted to take that structure and use it in a more contemporary way. The Cheetah is all about action, speed, and focus. They are about the immediate present. The lesson for me is to remind myself that we need to live with a sense of calm and timelessness, but also we need to be ready to move instantly with speed and with focus if necessary."
Vellum was originally a very old form of parchment (tanned animal skin), primarily used as a material for writing and painting. Today there are modern vellums made of polyester and fiber. A characteristic of modern vellum is that it is translucent. Michael Parkes has used this material throughout his career to make sketches or studies. Because the material is see-through, Parkes can easily turn it around and mirror the image he is working on. That is a huge advantage when creating his stone lithographs because he draws them mirrored on an etching stone.
Many of the original Michael Parkes sketches on vellum have been worked out in detail, and furnished with oil paint. For some years these original vellum drawings have been immensely popular with collectors because of their unique appearance. Michael Parkes therefore started testing extensively with vellum materials that were suitable to print on so he could make these works available to a wider audience. Together with master printer Marcel Salome the challenge was to approach the original drawings on vellum as close and true as possible. This has resulted in "Masterworks on Vellum" that are indistinguishable from the real drawings on vellum when framed. The Masterworks on Vellum have been produced in very limited edition, are numbered and signed by Michael Parkes and come with a certificate of authenticity.
"I am particularly fond of Cheetahs as they are the oldest of the cat family on earth", says artist Michael Parkes. "As early at 3,000 BC they were caught, tamed, and kept by humans. The early Egyptians considered them as one of their gods and they became a symbol of royalty. Hence, the name of this drawing is 'The Royal Cheetah'."
"I decided to use the 'Rondo' for this portrait. Renaissance portrait painters used this popular format meaning simply 'in the round'. It emotes a sense of stability, calmness and timelessness. I wanted to take that structure and use it in a more contemporary way. The Cheetah is all about action, speed, and focus. They are about the immediate present. The lesson for me is to remind myself that we need to live with a sense of calm and timelessness, but also we need to be ready to move instantly with speed and with focus if necessary."
Vellum was originally a very old form of parchment (tanned animal skin), primarily used as a material for writing and painting. Today there are modern vellums made of polyester and fiber. A characteristic of modern vellum is that it is translucent. Michael Parkes has used this material throughout his career to make sketches or studies. Because the material is see-through, Parkes can easily turn it around and mirror the image he is working on. That is a huge advantage when creating his stone lithographs because he draws them mirrored on an etching stone.
Many of the original Michael Parkes sketches on vellum have been worked out in detail, and furnished with oil paint. For some years these original vellum drawings have been immensely popular with collectors because of their unique appearance. Michael Parkes therefore started testing extensively with vellum materials that were suitable to print on so he could make these works available to a wider audience. Together with master printer Marcel Salome the challenge was to approach the original drawings on vellum as close and true as possible. This has resulted in "Masterworks on Vellum" that are indistinguishable from the real drawings on vellum when framed. The Masterworks on Vellum have been produced in very limited edition, are numbered and signed by Michael Parkes and come with a certificate of authenticity.
Other work by Michael Parkes
More about Michael Parkes
Artist Michael Parkes (1944, USA) is one of the world’s leading artists in the field of Magic Realism. Michael Parkes is a painter, sculptor and stone lithographer and creates paintings, sculptures and lithographs. His timeless artworks are collected by important private collectors, celebrities and museums around the world. Marcel Salome of Salome Art Venture has been Michael Parkes' master printer since 2002 and both have been friends for decades. The artworks of Michael Parkes that are sold by Salome Art Venture therefore belong to the highlights of his ouvre.
