Contemporary mixed media painter Destry Sparks was raised in the rural fishing village of Sea Level, North Carolina in the United States. As an adventurous boy he spent a lot of time in the forest and along the shore searching for interesting things. Other major influences in his early life were the work of his great grandfather Irving Fulcher, a notable decoy carver and fantastic imagery from Silver Surfer comic books.
As a practicing artist today showing his work around the States he cites diverse sources from traditional African and Aboriginal craftsmen to contemporary masters Anselm Kiefer and Gregory Amenoff. Refusing to be categorized within a single style or movement, he identifes with outsiders and Jean DuBuffett as much with any single genre.
Sparks attaches worn found objects, both natural and manufactured, to burlap. He then carefully applies acrylic paint to the fabric around the objects to create a particulary visceral effect upon the surface atypical of traditional painting. There is no attempt to fool the eye. Instead the viewer is invited into a tangible sort of painting where little discarded things from the world are placed in a new context. He asks us to consider that there really are no worthless things; everything has a place and a purpose in the world.
He enjoys working with other innovative artists to organize group shows. By bringing their work to new markets he strives to create new patrons for the artists to advance their careers. For more information about the Sparks Art Projects exhibitions and his own painting, visit www.destrysparks.com.
