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About the Art
Stanley Parkinson creates metal and stone combinations in a variety of shapes and sizes. As stone and metal are both "big dogs" in materials competitions, one would think that they would clash when combined in an art piece. Indeed, they both break bones and crush scissors, but when places side by side, these heavy weights make wonderful complements. A brushed or polished metal surface provides an attractive landscape for the sparkling faces to amethyst and for the detailed and intricate surfaces of orthoceras and ammonite fossils. The "windowed" appearance of some pieces permits viewing a greater diversity of color and shape than is usually possible in a single piece. |
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Your stone or tile? Or mine?
Your design? Or mine?
When I look at a fossil or stone, ideas for how to highlight its uniqueness in metal come to mind. But I love to make other people's ideas come to life as well....
Do you have your own stone or tile that you would like to see in a table or hanging on the wall? I will build you a table or frame for any of your personal favorites. Send me a picture and I will tell you my ideas for customizing your piece.
Not everything has to be a table or a wall-hanging. I have also designed floor standing pieces and smaller table-top items that are popular. Sometimes the metal part is minimal and serves as a non-descript stand or perhaps a whimsically shaped stand or frame like a heart of swirly design). A couple of my smaller items are visible on this page and in the photo in upper left of this webpage header.
Large or small, do you have a special design in mind? Send me a sketch (stanley@ironmanstan.com) and I'll tell you how I would proceed. Or call me at 520-896-9664.
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About the Artist
Stanley Parkinson is a lot of things. Yes, he loves the crackling sparks of welding designs that enhance the beauty of stones, fossils, and steel. But he's so much more! For instance, he's
* a Cal Berkeley fan (he played football for them in his undergrad days)
* been a professor of psychology at Arizona State University for over 30 years (primarily with interests in cognition, conditional reasoning, human memory and experimental design) and practiced Gestalt therapy
* a 5th degree black belt in Aikido
* a lover of nature, being an white water river rafter and kayaker (most recently he's earned his guide license for the "River of No Return"--the Salmon River (Main) in Northern Idaho
* a father of three great kids (and one grandchild)
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One thing that Stanley isn't (yet)
able to capture. He isn't able to capture the utter coolness of some of his art and tables in photos. It's easier with the small stuff, but iIt's hard to capture the glisten of a big chunk of amethyst nested in a spray of shiny steel. It's hard to capture the warmth of beautiful piece of slate juxtaposed against cold iron and the presence that can bring to a wall or a room. So keep that in mind as you view the pictures on this site--there's nothing like the real thing, baby.
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