Juan T. Parker

My appreciation and interest in art came at about the age of five when I began to use color crayons, pencils and finger-paints. As I got older, I began to draw with pen and ink, oil pastels, color pencils, and pasted chalk and then to paint with acrylics. I attended Hennepin Junior College, transferred to Hennepin Technical School for commercial art, and got an associate’s degree. I have been commissioned to do several murals and art pieces, and I have participated in art shows and illustrated several children’s books. I teach art through St. Paul Community Ed (ages 6-7), Eastside Council at Cambric High Rise, and Young Rembrandts after school. Art has gotten me through being bullied as a child, the difficult teenage years, and, as an adult, having congestive heart failure and cancer. I have had numerous hospital stays. I was put on the heart transplant list in spring of 2015. On Christmas Day, December 2015, I received a great gift of a heart transplant. Some days are better than others. With this second chance, I want my art to inspire plus make a difference in this world.