Artist Series Tee - Ken Parker

We're proud to feature our new Artist Series Tee designed for us by local Sacramento artist, Ken Parker! Below, Ken Parker shares his inspiration and design process behind this unique piece.

What inspires your art?

My inspiration comes primarily from the books that I read, along with my curiosity of consciousness and self-realization. Some of the books I read are philosophical, psychological, esoteric, spiritual, metaphysical, poetic, and symbolic.

What was the idea behind this design?

The theme of this design is the expansion and unfoldment of the mind. The gradual growth and rhythm of nature that is forever changing into more complex forms. The feminine figure represents wisdom. This is tied to the word philosophy, which is defined as “the love of wisdom”.

Can you tell us about the design process?

I started with drawing out ideas in one of my small travel sketchbooks. I kept refining the idea into my larger sketchbooks and eventually brought the main concept into digital form. I then used my Wacom Cintiq and Adobe Photoshop to clean up and add further details. I also did a few print out and variations with pencil, then re-worked them digitally again. At the final stage I then worked in Adobe Illustrator to vectorize and make them screen print ready.

Anything else you'd like to share about yourself or this piece?

With my art I'm trying to integrate the things that I've seen, read, felt, and trying to further understand. The complexity of the mind and body fills me with wonder, and keeps me moving forward. I feel that in order to heal this world we all must better understand ourselves and heal mentally. In some way or form we need to be creative, and allow time and space for inner growth and development so that humanity can reach its full potential.