Lion’s Return 

Curator: Here we have Michael Parkes’ painting, "Lion’s Return." Immediately, I’m struck by the ethereal quality of the scene. It's like a Renaissance dream, or perhaps even a vividly illustrated fable. Editor: That's precisely what it evokes. But looking closer, it's fascinating to consider the acrylic medium chosen. Acrylic allows for such smooth gradations and almost photographic realism in depicting textures, from the lion’s fur to the angel’s gown. It must require numerous layers and painstaking work to achieve this degree of polish. Curator: Indeed. Parkes often employs figures from mythology and folklore. The winged woman and the lion become intertwined, a powerful dyad. The woman, an angel of sorts, has a distant and cautious gaze that could invite diverse projections: maybe she represents protection? Editor: Absolutely, it is that potential to create personal projection through the icon of an angel in close symbiosis with the raw power of the lion. Consider too that tension might result in working acrylic, how it sets quickly compared to oils, demanding of the artist a brisk pace, even with its potential to emulate realism. What this choice says about production and time investment interests me a great deal. Curator: The setting plays its part in this artwork, certainly. A precarious rock ledge where the moon shines dimly against an ethereal horizon, giving context to the sphere beside some scrolls that both woman and animal might guard. This entire painting exists within that careful balance, doesn’t it? Editor: Precisely. And thinking about the contemporary context of fantasy art as a marketable commodity...how Parkes navigates these symbolic figures that could so easily turn into simplistic caricature... his command of medium is really highlighted for its craft and precision. Curator: After our brief journey, I wonder what resonances will travel home with our audience? Editor: I wonder what the exchange is in seeing the representation of mythological figures presented in acrylic, as compared to classic media?