KENT ALE HOUSE/
TESS PARKER
51 KENT AVENUE
BEFORE
AFTER
BEFORE
ASFTER
“For this piece, I began brainstorming with the knowledge that Kent Ale House often attracts English and Irish sports fans, is located in a bustling part of Williamsburg near many hotels, and that the owners themselves are Irish. Given this knowledge, as well as my artistic and ancestral background, I generated the overall concept. The piece contains natural landscapes and timeworn landmarks emulating the sublime aesthetics of both Ireland and England, specifically Fenit Castle, Stonehenge, and the Cliffs of Moher. On the third wall, a cobblestone street leads to a life-sized iconic royal telephone booth and an American flag, Irish flag, and English flag to represent the blend of the three countries within this piece and its landscape, as well as providing passerby’s a unique photo opportunity, ideally providing a space for the viewer to interact with the painting. The serene natural content serves as an eccentrically beautiful juxtaposition against the bustling everchanging yet iconic Manhattan skyline.“
-Tess Parker
“Art has always been a coping skill for me, which when mixed with my empathetic nature had inspired me to convey that to help others. It is a nonverbal form of communication and a healthy way to reframe pain into growth, as symbolized through my continual use of images representing the inevitability of life’s cycles. My work most often consists of organic figures (animals, people, flowers & plants), emulated through bright colors and high contrast. Symbolic imagery exists to support my themes of feminism and existentialism, often within surreal saturated landscapes. I work to make the viewer feel - to make the viewer have a relationship with my art, especially through sociological-based content pertaining to religion, politics, love, cognition, war, life, birth, and death; my goal is to inspire emotional expression.”
“In 1906, my great grandfather Michael Parker immigrated from Fenit, Ireland and arrived in Brooklyn. He was heading to San Francisco to meet his two sisters, but destiny had other plans, as the Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 halted his ability to travel to the West Coast, and he met and fell in love with my great grandmother Mary Nagle. The rest is history.
In 2011 we had a large Parker family reunion in Kerry, Ireland (location of Fenit), attracting distant family members from all over the globe and it was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I stood in the decrepit remains of the cottage my great grandfather was born in. I saw how beautiful my family’s home is, something a picture, and even a painting, couldn’t truly capture the full essence of. But, most notably, I got to visit Fenit Castle. This landmark felt most representative of Fenit and of my personal connections because while there, the land leading to the castle is privately owned and blocked from the public, assumedly for preservation although I’m uncertain. But a distant cousin, whom will remain anonymous, broke the entire reunion in and organized a helicopter tour of the area for everyone – he even eventually got arrested for it! I know a bunch of us sent money for their legal expenses and it shook up a few already existing debates in the local community, but it is one of my dearest and fondest memories and an integral part of why the image of Fenit Castle exists on this piece.
Upon completing the image of Fenit Castle on this mural I posted an update on my personal Facebook. Having these connections to Fenit lead to a radio interview with Radio Kerry and a news interview with Kerry’s Eye. This got the attention of many locals and has laid the groundwork for the strong potential of me traveling to Fenit to paint a mural there.
