Sadly, Susan and my teacher, Bill Parks passed away in his sleep on December 16, 2003 at age 81. Death is something we all will eventually have in common and is no real distinction. What sets us apart is how we choose to live, and by that standard, Mr. Parks' life was a distinguished one, indeed. You can hardly attend a prestigious show or pick up an art magazine without encountering one of his former students. Mr. Parks always emphasized that he was merely passing on what had been given him and the only repayment he expected was that you do the same with the knowledge you are now temporary steward of. 

Though Mr. Parks didn't want a funeral or memorial, any former students who would like to share a memory or tidbit of wisdom imparted to them from Bill, feel free to e-mail it to us and we'll include a few of them on this page of our website. Feel free to send in photos, printouts from his class, or just stories you'd like to share. I'm going to try and slowly add descriptions of his teaching method and instruction, though much of it will be a repeat of what you've heard me say in my demonstrations, workshops, and videos since our knowledge of painting came to a large part from Mr. Parks and on down from his teacher, his teacher's teacher, etc., stretching back from artist to artist to that first primitive man or woman who picked up a stick and made marks on some wood or stone wall. Mr. Parks continually reminded his students of this unbroken legacy and the fact that all of us are standing on the shoulders of those who preceded us. "To say that you are self-taught means you have an idiot for an instructor," was one of his numerous quotes, though I can't remember who he was quoting. Just the act of picking up a book of painting is a form of leaning from those before us. Because of this, Mr. Parks also emphasized the importance of passing on these hard-won realizations and tools to the next generation of artists.

It is hard finding the time to teach as well as paint and I have to admit that our focus is mainly on our own struggles and improving as painters and we usually only find time to do an occasional workshop or seminar each year. Susan and I  hope that by putting some of the knowledge that we've been given on our website we're at least doing a small part in sharing Mr. Parks' legacy with others. Mr. Parks' empashis was much more tilted in the direction of sharing his knowledge than focusing solely on his own painting and promotion. He was a great painter, but few would have seen his work. Sometimes I wonder if anyone would have taken a workshop from him at one of the many workshop places around the country since so much of the success of such classes depends on the fame of the instructor, even though they might not necessarily be a great teacher. Mr. Parks was a great teacher, that was his gift. Our paintings are as much a product of him, and all the teachers we've had, as of our own.

9-30-2007

Hello:  I just found your TERRIFIC! website in homage
to Bill Parks.  I studied at the American Academy way
long ago, 1969-1972 I think.  There was still a dress
code and we women had to wear dresses and climb up on
those tall drawing horses.

Mr. Parks taught me how to think for myself, how to
break down pre-conceived notions and find the truth,
for a quarter of course.  He's been in my head every
day since I was in his class.  I don't have to tell
you how great a teacher he was, well he is still
teaching.

Mr. Parks and I became pretty good friends, we would
always sneek out to hall for a smoke during breaks and
laugh.

For some reason in 2002 I was compelled to try and
find him and to say thanks for it all.  I did find
him, and to my surprise he remembered me and we must
have talked for two hours. Best phone call I ever
made.  Again he taught me and made me laugh.  His life
was one of the most valuable I have ever known and I
am grateful to have known him.

Bill Parks was a force of nature.  He's my hero.

Caroline Norton

1-20-2004

     If you had Bill Parks for Life Drawing you were very fortunate because it was indeed a two-part class, if you listened, you learned how to draw, but if you really listened closely, you learned about life.

     He was Yoda, Obi Wan Kanobi and Merlin all wrapped in a blue smock (except for his Christmas party when the red smock came out along with his red beret) with a charcoal stick in one hand and a China marker in the other; a sagacious shaman with a wry smile, infectious chuckle and a twinkling smile that was the envy of department store Santas from coast to coast. 

He had wit and wisdom to spare.  He was always at the ready with a joke or his daily quotes that he posted on his classroom door.  Or his famous mnemonic notes of encouragement like ‘ATTITUDE,’ or ‘TRY.’  Spelled vertically each letter represented another word:

Always Think That It’s The Ultimate Daily Endeavor

Think Respond Yourself

     He was a cheerleader who was kind of stingy with the rah-rahs.  But that just made the times when he did give you that mental (as well as physical) pat on the back that much more savory. 

     I was lucky enough to have continued our relationship far past the classroom; mostly phone calls and letters and the occasional German chocolate cake or pot of Spanish rice that I would bring to his Saturday classes. He was a kind man.  He was my friend and I will miss him.  But his kindness and friendship will continue forever through all of us lucky enough to have had him as a teacher.  More importantly I will carry the education/gifts that he passed on to me and that I can pass on to others.  He was fond of saying that we all stand on tall shoulders.  I am proud, honored and humbled that I got to climb his.  There is a Chinese proverb that says of every three people you meet, one of them will be your teacher.  Bill Parks was that teacher, times three, to the third power.

     In retrospect what he taught was relatively simple:

 -Line drawing –length and direction; how far does a line go before it changes direction.

-Values –squint and compare; darkest dark and the lightest light.  Everything else must fall in between.

-Edges –keep them soft except for a few near the center of interest.  If you’re unsure, keep them soft.

-Color  -paint what you see.

And don’t complain (too much) about problems with these four issues until you’ve done four or five hundred paintings.         

     It’s also good to know that Heaven has a pretty good Life Drawing teacher.  I can hear his voice… “…Every now and then get up off your cloud and take a look at your effort from a distance…”

John Tylk

1-28-2004

Scott and Susan,

I saw on your site recently that Bill Parks passed away.  You asked for good stories about him.  Here’s one that I remember about him.

One Saturday afternoon after his drawing class at the American Academy of Art, I was in one of the rooms upstairs working on one of my own pieces.  He came into the room, said hello, and took a look at what I was doing.  After complementing me, he motioned me to get up and follow him.  We both walked to the area of the Academy where they had the permanent collection on the walls (Thomas Blackshear, Haddon Sundbloom, et al.).  We went from piece to piece, and he was explaining what was good about each one.  At the end of the talk, he pointed at me and said “Now, what are you going to do?  What’s inside of you?  What are you going to say to people with your work?”  He was trying to emphasize that what I was learning there were just skills, and that what I should be thinking about is how to use them well and wisely.  He valued the individual expression of beautiful work as much as the skill.  I’ll always remember that.  It was a great lesson.

I only took his class one time.  It was the quarter that he retired from the Academy after his wife passed on.  But he was great and I can see why he had such a positive effect on people and why they liked him so much.  He lived a long and full life and, in my opinion at least, was a great success.  He wasn’t rich or famous, but he got to do and share what he loved for most of his life.  If we could all be so lucky!

Best wishes to you both for your continued success,

Brian Minder

7-1-2004

Scott and Susan,

I was deeply moved to read of the passing of my beloved teacher Mr.
Parks.

Without exaggeration I can say he was and continues to be one of the
most influential people of my life.

I was a very lucky young man when I walked into his classroom and
parked my self on a bench 25 years ago. Mr. Parks gave me inspiration,
direction, and practical instruction I could USE. His words ring in my
ear to this day -- in his voice!

Fortunately I was inspired a few years ago to write and thank him for
all he had done for me. If I am a very lucky man again, I would be
happy to teach and so continue his legacy.  After all what he really
guided me towards was finding the joy in life and myself. A wonderful
gift to give.

Paul Schmid
AAA student from 1979 to 1982

 9-23-2004

"It's the long brake time, ten whoooooole minutes of fun, frolick and fooling around.  Anybody got a birthday?"

It's goofy I know, but there is only a few people I am aware of, who might find that as funny as I do

Take care,
Brian Busch

Here's one of the printouts that I saved from Mr. Parks' classes.