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Ariel Parkinson at House of Seiko, San Francisco

Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 38

We are thrilled to announce an exhibition of rarely seen work by visionary Bay Area artist Ariel Reynolds Parkinson (1926 – 2017) organized by Zully Adler.

For every chapter of Bay Area bohemianism there was also Ariel, carving her own channels between what she called “Beat then Hip, then Rock, Love, the Natural World.” At first, in the late 1940s, she found herself among the poets and playwrights of the so-called Berkeley Bunch. Younger than many and one of few women, she maintained a sharp and sometimes ironic distance 9om their oblivious masculinity, even if she also enjoyed their “pacifist, anarcho-syn- dicalist, syncretist, pan-cultural gatherings.” Then she studied at the California School of Fine Arts, painting under Hassel Smith when “Dream was in, and Cosmos.” Afier that, the dawn of the hippie movement, walking to the Human Be-In with her young 9iend Allen Ginsberg and holding a sign that read “I Represent the Lower Animals.”

Sensitive as she was to new tendencies and social change, Ariel also maintained old-world decorum and an archaic, arch-romantic sensibility. San Francisco critic Al9ed Frankenstein compared her to William Blake, as if her work belonged to a previous century. Her style skews surreal and whimsical, with a grotesque undercurrent drawn 9om the darker elements of Art Nouveau. It is seductive but also repellent, producing what she called “the posture of cruel joy”—like the Worm Queen 9om her 9iend Helen Adam’s San Francisco’s Burning: A Ballad Opera:

My crown is crusted with carrion flies And my head is bald and wet,
But the loveliest woman of living flesh With you will quite forget.

Ariel’s imagery finds its closest companions with characters like this. For her, art was storytelling, and painting car- ried “the piercing, noble, haunted power to imagine.” Many pieces reference Shakespeare, the Brothers Grimm, and classical mythology. Others conjure what she called the “mists and tempests, sea foam, clouds, smoke, waves” found in the prose of Ruskin. It may have helped that she lectured in English at Mills College, that her husband was the revered poet and professor Tom Parkinson, and that her 9iends were largely writers. Ariel herself wrote with the verbosity and prosody of a Victorian in recital: “Beyond the writhing fish and the live chickens, the glowing 9uit, and the towering gold and cream of Italian baking, glimpses of city towers, glimpses of the grey-green, wind-battered surface of the bay.” That’s San Francisco. Over the decades, she committed increasing efforts to illustration and costume design for opera, ballet, and theater, her artwork put in the service of the stories that inspired her in the first place.

Ariel’s creative anchor was always nature. Specifically, “the California of John Muir, Ishi, and Kroeber.” When stuck in the city, she could turn to what Gary Snyder called the inner wilderness, an interior plain of marshes and tidepools overgrown with “Ur-vegetation.” The work that emerged 9om this wilderness allowed Ariel to found a movement of one: bio-classicism. And when one curator dismissed her painting as a puddle of swamp water, the artist was undis- turbed. She drew harsh caricatures of industrial barons and other enemies of the planet. More becoming drawings graced protest banners and guidance on a new municipal project known as recycling. Ariel became a thorn in the side of the Solid Waste Management board. “Garbage is simply resources out of place, and I was its Joan of Arc.” Ultimate- ly, she lefi the project of recycling behind and made convincing arguments for doing away with packaging entirely.

Whether fearsome, dainty, erotic, or in dissent, the artworks of Ariel are guided by the senses. Paintings and drawings emerged 9om what she called “various admixtures and applications of the pleasure principle.” Nature was something to safeguard in part because it was interesting to see, feel, smell, and taste. Watching her watercolor spread is satis- fying; her human figures are voluptuous. The writers and artists in her company—Robert Duncan, Anaïs Nin, Jack Spicer, Jess, Kenneth Rexroth, Norman O. Brown—were not so different. They exalted feelings, even ugly ones, for how much they could be felt. Neither Ariel nor the Worm Queen play favorites in this realm. They provoke goose- bumps as much as induce repose. In the inner wilderness, sensations are vital, but they won’t always make you feel better.

– Zully Adler

Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 1
Ariel Parkinson, Ariel: Part One & Two, 2024, exhibition view, House of Seiko, San Francisco
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 2
Ariel Parkinson, Ariel: Part One & Two, 2024, exhibition view, House of Seiko, San Francisco
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 3
Ariel Parkinson, Ariel: Part One & Two, 2024, exhibition view, House of Seiko, San Francisco
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 4
Ariel Parkinson, Ariel: Part One & Two, 2024, exhibition view, House of Seiko, San Francisco
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 5
Ariel Parkinson, Ariel: Part One & Two, 2024, exhibition view, House of Seiko, San Francisco
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 6
Ariel Parkinson, Ariel: Part One & Two, 2024, exhibition view, House of Seiko, San Francisco
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 7
Ariel Parkinson, Ariel: Part One & Two, 2024, exhibition view, House of Seiko, San Francisco
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 8
Ariel Parkinson, Ariel: Part One & Two, 2024, exhibition view, House of Seiko, San Francisco
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 16
Ariel Parkinson, Angela Atalante and Two Unicorns, 1972-79, Oil on canvas, 37 1⁄4 x 37 1⁄4 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 17
Ariel Parkinson, Angela Atalante and Two Unicorns, 1972-79, Oil on canvas, 37 1⁄4 x 37 1⁄4 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 15
Ariel Parkinson, Angela Atalante and Two Unicorns, 1972-79, Oil on canvas, 37 1⁄4 x 37 1⁄4 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 14
Ariel Parkinson, Angela Atalante and Two Unicorns, 1972-79, Oil on canvas, 37 1⁄4 x 37 1⁄4 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 13
Ariel Parkinson, Angela Atalante and Two Unicorns, 1972-79, Oil on canvas, 37 1⁄4 x 37 1⁄4 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 12
Ariel Parkinson, Angela Atalante and Two Unicorns, 1972-79, Oil on canvas, 37 1⁄4 x 37 1⁄4 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 11
Ariel Parkinson, Angela Atalante and Two Unicorns, 1972-79, Oil on canvas, 37 1⁄4 x 37 1⁄4 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 10
Ariel Parkinson, Angela Atalante and Two Unicorns, 1972-79, Oil on canvas, 37 1⁄4 x 37 1⁄4 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 9
Ariel Parkinson, Angela Atalante and Two Unicorns, 1972-79, Oil on canvas, 37 1⁄4 x 37 1⁄4 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 23
Ariel Parkinson, George’s Wife, 1980, Oil on Masonite, 34 x 36 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 24
Ariel Parkinson, George’s Wife, 1980, Oil on Masonite, 34 x 36 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 18
Ariel Parkinson, George’s Wife, 1980, Oil on Masonite, 34 x 36 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 19
Ariel Parkinson, George’s Wife, 1980, Oil on Masonite, 34 x 36 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 20
Ariel Parkinson, George’s Wife, 1980, Oil on Masonite, 34 x 36 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 21
Ariel Parkinson, George’s Wife, 1980, Oil on Masonite, 34 x 36 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 22
Ariel Parkinson, George’s Wife, 1980, Oil on Masonite, 34 x 36 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 29
Ariel Parkinson, Pride Rides Vanity, 1980, Oil on Masonite, 50 x 43 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 30
Ariel Parkinson, Pride Rides Vanity, 1980, Oil on Masonite, 50 x 43 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 25
Ariel Parkinson, Pride Rides Vanity, 1980, Oil on Masonite, 50 x 43 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 26
Ariel Parkinson, Pride Rides Vanity, 1980, Oil on Masonite, 50 x 43 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 27
Ariel Parkinson, Pride Rides Vanity, 1980, Oil on Masonite, 50 x 43 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 28
Ariel Parkinson, Pride Rides Vanity, 1980, Oil on Masonite, 50 x 43 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 38
Ariel Parkinson, Red Foxes, c. 1994, Oil on canvas, 60 x 80 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 39
Ariel Parkinson, Red Foxes, c. 1994, Oil on canvas, 60 x 80 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 31
Ariel Parkinson, Red Foxes, c. 1994, Oil on canvas, 60 x 80 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 32
Ariel Parkinson, Red Foxes, c. 1994, Oil on canvas, 60 x 80 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 33
Ariel Parkinson, Red Foxes, c. 1994, Oil on canvas, 60 x 80 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 34
Ariel Parkinson, Red Foxes, c. 1994, Oil on canvas, 60 x 80 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 35
Ariel Parkinson, Red Foxes, c. 1994, Oil on canvas, 60 x 80 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 36
Ariel Parkinson, Red Foxes, c. 1994, Oil on canvas, 60 x 80 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 37
Ariel Parkinson, Red Foxes, c. 1994, Oil on canvas, 60 x 80 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 41
Ariel Parkinson, Mechanical Drawing (Bat Puppet), 1986, Graphite on vellum, 24 x 32 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 40
Ariel Parkinson, Mechanical Drawing (Bat Puppet), 1986, Graphite on vellum, 24 x 32 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 43
Ariel Parkinson, Family Behavior Chart (I), 1965, Ink on paper, 15 1/2 x 19 3⁄4 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 42
Ariel Parkinson, Family Behavior Chart (I), 1965, Ink on paper, 15 1/2 x 19 3⁄4 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 45
Ariel Parkinson, Family Behavior Chart (II), 1963, Ink on paper, 22 1/4 x 26 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 44
Ariel Parkinson, Family Behavior Chart (II), 1963, Ink on paper, 22 1/4 x 26 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 47
Ariel Parkinson, Family Behavior Chart (III), 1972, Ink on paper, 17 1/8 x 24 1⁄2 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 46
Ariel Parkinson, Family Behavior Chart (III), 1972, Ink on paper, 17 1/8 x 24 1⁄2 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 49
Ariel Parkinson, Mechanical Drawing (Fish Mask), 1986, Graphite on vellum, 24 x 30 1/8 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 48
Ariel Parkinson, Mechanical Drawing (Fish Mask), 1986, Graphite on vellum, 24 x 30 1/8 in.
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 51
Ariel Parkinson, Red Riding Hood, 1964, Ink and watercolor on cardstock, 9 3⁄4 x 7 1⁄4 in (image), 15 3/8 x 12 1⁄4 (matte)
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 52
Ariel Parkinson, Red Riding Hood, 1964, Ink and watercolor on cardstock, 9 3⁄4 x 7 1⁄4 in (image), 15 3/8 x 12 1⁄4 (matte)
Ariel Parkinson At House Of Seiko, San Francisco 50
Ariel Parkinson, Ariel: Part One & Two, 2024, exhibition view, House of Seiko, San Francisco

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