In life, if we pay attention, we get to see some extraordinary things. We'll see and experience things which will stay with us forever. When a baby smiles, a cat sleeps, a grandmother laughs, or your love sacrifices for you. 
   All of the "good stuff" makes for a beautiful life. The "good stuff" refers to the things that make you cry, whether in sadness or joy, because you see, the great beauty in being human is our EMOTION. If anyone ever tells you that I lack emotion, tell them to toddle off. ;)
   In this piece, Hopes and Dreams, we have a mother and daughter. They are peering out the window, they're wanting a great future filled with happiness and fulfilled aspirations. They shall see these things happen, especially if they remember the most crucial element to it all, LOVE. Cheesy? You're darned right. X.
   

www.amazon.com/Carl-Parker-Paint-Aspergers-Through/dp/1983471097/ref=sr_1_1?crid=28C9W1O4ATVFS&keywords=carl+parker+a+life+in+paint&qid=1579179644&sprefix=carl+par%2Caps%2C188&sr=8-1   

​Do you read? Have you ever read a book or do you just like looking at the pictures? Ha! Ha! Well, this book happens to have both.
   It's a huge piece of this guy's life. That's a very cool thing because I am VERY blessed. None of this would have happened if it weren't for people like you, people who READ. ;)  
   There is a man, a good man, who wanted a signed one for his little son. I think his son will understand me very well. ;) He told me of the love that he has for his little boy. That's the stuff that really matters. At the end of the day, we need love. We're doomed without it. Trust me, I know.
   This good man wanted something to inspire his young son, so he got me to send him one. It was my deep pleasure. 
   Go out by yourself someplace quiet, where you can really think. Ask yourself what YOU truly want to do in this world. Afterall, you'll get one spin here (as far as we know), so make it a good spin. I did this, I went out and asked myself if I truly am an artist, no matter how hard it'll be (it was HARD!!!!!!) and the answer came back, YES.
   Go out and be who YOU truly are. This is my hope for that little boy.

   Ah, the big, bad raven. It's black, it's big, it's somewhat elusive. It's YOU on your best day! It's you when you feel blunt, sharp, forthright and honest. It's you when you practice no life-politics or corruption. It's you when you just love.
   Be like the raven and don't take any prisoners.
   Read a book, help an old person, teach a child to read, plant a garden. or buy a bird feeder. Do something really cool.  Maybe a raven will see you and tell the Guardians of The Other Side to visit you. Am I using my strange imagination? Of course, I'm an artist.
   We can either be talking monkeys or strive for something a little higher. The choice is always YOURS. X.
   

  ​​Crows are something else, aren't they? They bring something mysterious, enchanting, magical and a feel of wisdom, somehow. This painting is called, Ancient Moon. It has a very old and magical vibe, but I've brought the style into our modern world. When I was a little boy, drawing, enchanted by art, hypnotized by being an artist, I didn't think about crows. 
   Now, in this new year of 2020, crows are on my mind and in my soul. They are all around me, all around you, and they call out to us. Several years ago, as I was about to paint my first crow, I merely thought it would be cool and fun to paint them. Now, I realize there's something very curious and powerful about them. They are survivors. They are intelligent. They look and act like maybe they know something we don't. Perhaps they bring secrets from the ancient world.
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   Have you ever loved somebody? I mean REALLY loved 'em. I have and do. Her name is Misty. She's a firecracker! She tells me when I suck and when I'm being a douche. THAT's love! ;)
​   This piece, called, Never Cold, tells of a real relationship. It speaks of couples that stick together no matter what. It tells a tale of no matter what the weather or how cold the world is, that couple makes their own warmth, their own magic, and are NEVER COLD.
​   If you're lucky enough to find a love like mine, remember to love like there is no tomorrow. If the love is real, your love shall never go cold. X.
  

   Happy New Year!
​   I want to thank those who collected my art this past year. You're deeply appreciated.
​   I called this painting, The Old City at Dusk. The people and the shadows have stories to tell. The old European feel and mood, the talking and whispering, and the beauty of the worn buildings, capture the soul. We want to see more. We want to absorb it all, like hungry ghosts at dusk.
​   The spirits of the old city are mixed with melancholy, joy, sadness and excitement.
​   This painting reminds me of how I feel when I'm in my painting realm. It's as if entities from The Other Side visit me, they whisper in my ear, they edge me on, they make a friend out of me. Sound weird? Not if you're an eccentric character like me. Heh-heh-heh...
​    Perhaps, one day, if you're in an old city, with an amazing old, wonderful vibe, the spirits shall whisper to you, "Take a chance, look a little deeper, into the shadows, into the darkness, and you may discover a whole other world."
  

Ah, the artist. He's a strange one. He's moody, emotional, complex, and a general pain in the bum. But, then there's a groovy and successful book. This book, my book, that I'm proud of, Carl Parker: A Life In Paint. It's doing really well. It's available from Amazon. I must thank people who end up with it, it was years in the making, it's particles of a life, my life. X

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  With a deep breath and your strong heart
​  you will know to walk by the ocean 

  When a smile comes upon your lips, you will know your serenity
  The spirits of the ocean will talk to you

   When you see a shape moving toward you down the long beach
   You will know I am near

   When the gulls cry and the salty spray touches your soul
   You will know your heart will grow

   I am almost there
   I will be with you
   Our bond is forever
   Love will shine for the spirits to see

   The gulls cry again
   We join hands
   The angels do sing
   Please stay forever
                                                                                 
                                                                                             You are my blood
                                                                                             You are my sister
                                                                                             How I have missed you
                                                                                             How the ocean has missed you
   




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   Some paintings are more complex than others. My style, my voice, my way with paint and a canvas, contains a certain complexity. My art is not for everyone and that's okay. After all, that's the way of the world, sometimes. However, I am VERY blessed that a lot of people do like my art. Today, this Christmas Day, 2019, I thank you collectors. You are appreciated.
   This painting, The Old City at Dusk is not for the person who doesn't crave something unique. This piece is VERY unique, to some, even strange. To me, it's just my creative flow, me listening to the good ghosts that direct my hand, that whisper in the night. They know much more than I do.
   Welcome to the OTHER SIDE, where the collector can also hear the whispers of the good ghosts. X...
   
   

   Remember when you were a wee tot, just a little fart, a small child, no money in your hands and poop in your pants? I do. But, the world and nature were AWESOME. I'd go trudging around the bogs and mud, exploring, searching, wanting to look at EVERYTHING. I have great memories of my sis having to come down and pull me out of mud I was stuck in going down three feet in my school yard. She was five years older and often saving me from stuff, including invading, older bullies. :) 
   This painting, Close to Heaven, is a celebration of nature, Mother Nature, our childhood nature and Father Sky, the watcher of EVERYTHING.
   In autumn (my fave season), I really let go. I am a kid again. My heart sings. I walk outdoors a lot. The cooler air, the smell, the changing, it's all lovely. It's very freeing and very healing. 
   Next time you find yourself out in nature, be a kid, be adventurous, take the hands of Mother Nature and Father Sky, and soar away to Heaven, the Heaven that only the pure, child-mind can possess. X