John Richard Parsons (born 7 May 1941) is an English writer and artist, noted for his prize-winning

haiku is a type of short form poetry originally from Japan. Traditional Japanese haiku consist of three phrases that contain a ''kireji'', or "cutting word", 17 '' on'' (phonetic units similar to syllables) in a 5, 7, 5 pattern, and a ''kigo'', or se ...

poetry. He taught etching and lithography at

Central Saint Martins Central Saint Martins is a public tertiary art school in London, England. It is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London. It offers full-time courses at foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and a variety of shor ...

school of art from 1962 to 1968. His art and sculpture are both figurative and abstract, and draw on many sources of inspiration, particularly prehistoric, Indian and tribal traditions. His work is noted for his attention to colour, material and technique.

Background

Parsons was born in

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

, England, on 7 May 1941. His mother had been evacuated as a refugee from the London

Blitz Blitz, German for "lightning", may refer to: Military uses *Blitzkrieg, blitz campaign, or blitz, a type of military campaign *The Blitz, the German aerial campaign against Britain in the Second World War *, an Imperial German Navy light cruiser b ...

where his grandfather was a Master Mason.''Bookstories 11: John Parsons’ Choosing the Stone''. Troutswirl – The Haiku Foundation Blog. Online at https://www.thehaikufoundation.org/2015/02/06/bookstories-11-john-parsons-choosing-the-stone/. Retrieved August 2019. He attended

The Latymer School ("He who endures wins") , established = , type = Voluntary aided grammar school , religion = , president = , head_label = Headteacher , head = Maureen Cobbett , r_head_label = , r_head = , chair_lab ...

at Edmonton, London (1953–1958). He studied printmaking and painting at

Hornsey College of Art Hornsey College of Art (a.k.a. Hornsey School of Art) was a college in Crouch End in the London Borough of Haringey, England. The HCA was "an iconic British art institution, renowned for its experimental and progressive approach to art and design ...

(1958–1962). He has read and travelled widely, and cites the work of

Arthur Koestler Arthur Koestler, (, ; ; hu, Kösztler Artúr; 5 September 1905 – 1 March 1983) was a Hungarian-born author and journalist. Koestler was born in Budapest and, apart from his early school years, was educated in Austria. In 1931, Koestler join ...

and

Carl Jung Carl Gustav Jung ( ; ; 26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology. Jung's work has been influential in the fields of psychiatry, anthropology, archaeology, literature, philo ...

as philosophical influences, and

tantric Buddhism Vajrayāna ( sa, वज्रयान, "thunderbolt vehicle", "diamond vehicle", or "indestructible vehicle"), along with Mantrayāna, Guhyamantrayāna, Tantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Tantric Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism, are names referring t ...

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

and

tribal art Tribal art is the visual arts and material culture of indigenous peoples. Also known as non-Western art or ethnographic art, or, controversially, primitive art, Dutton, Denis, Tribal Art'. In Michael Kelly (editor), ''Encyclopedia of Aesthetics. ...

as artistic influences.''John Parsons''. Old Contemporaries – Art from the modernist 1960s. Online at https://oldcontemporaries.com/2019/01/22/old-contemporaries/. Retrieved August 2019. He cites the work of R.H. Blyth, a devotee of Japanese culture, as an early inspiration for his poetic writing,''abstract paintings/drawings, stone carvings, assemblages, poetry, haiku, haibun, tanka, Zen gardens, calligraphy''. Online at http://johnrparsons.blogspot.com/2009/11/abstract-paintingsdrawings-stone.html. Retrieved August 2019. and

Brian Coffey Brian Coffey (8 June 1905 – 14 April 1995) was an Irish poet and publisher. His work was informed by his Catholicism, his background in science and philosophy, and his connection to French surrealism. He was close to an intellectual Europea ...

as a poetic mentor.

Work

Writing

Poetry

The poetry of Japanese

haibun is a prosimetric literary form originating in Japan, combining prose and haiku. The range of ''haibun'' is broad and frequently includes autobiography, diary, essay, prose poem, short story and travel journal. History The term "''haibun''" was ...

, senryu and

tanka is a genre of classical Japanese poetry and one of the major genres of Japanese literature. Etymology Originally, in the time of the ''Man'yōshū'' (latter half of the eighth century AD), the term ''tanka'' was used to distinguish "short poem ...

has been a strong influence on Parsons' writing, as has the evocative and concise poetry of

Imagism Imagism was a movement in early-20th-century Anglo-American poetry that favored precision of imagery and clear, sharp language. It is considered to be the first organized modernist literary movement in the English language. Imagism is sometim ...

. He is an internationally recognised writer of haiku and haibun in English, and has won prizes, awards and commendations at many competitions, including first prizes at the Kikakuza Haibun Contest (2009); Klostar Ivanic Festival (2012), the

Yamadera Basho Memorial Museum The was established in 1989 as part of the cultural building boom in Yamagata celebrating the 100-year anniversary of the founding of the city. Located about 20 minutes by train (Senzan Line between Yamagata and Sendai) from Yamagata Station, it ...

(2012), the Kumamoto City Festival (2012). His work has widely appeared in anthologies, including 'Blithe Spirit', the quarterly journal of the British Haiku Society.''Blithe Spirit''. British Haiku Society. Online at http://britishhaikusociety.org.uk/journal/ Accessed August 2019. It has also appeared in individual volumes of his poetry published by Advent Books, Hub Publications and Labyrinth Books.''Labyrinth Books''. Online at https://www.labyrinthbooks.com/. Retrieved August 2019. He judged the haibun section in the British Haiku Society Awards, 2014.''Results of the British Haiku Society Awards 2014''. Online at http://britishhaikusociety.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/results-of-the-british-haiku-awards-2014.pdf. Retrieved August 2019. His haiku work has been reviewed by Piper Charlton in a reader response essay for Millikin University, 2021.''The Haiku Work of John Parsons''. Online at https://www.brooksbookshaiku.com/MillikinHaiku/courses/globalSpring2021/PiperCharlton-on-JohnParsons%20.pdf. Retrieved December 2021.

Song lyrics

Parsons contributed lyrics to the rock band

Fabulous Poodles The Fabulous Poodles were a British pre- new wave band formed in 1975. Known for quirky stage antics, such as exploding ukuleles, as well as songs with funny lyrics, The Fabulous Poodles toured with Meat Loaf, Sha Na Na, Tom Petty, Bill Brufor ...

(1975–1980), including "Mirror Star", "Chicago Boxcar", "Toytown People", "Tit Photographer's Blues", "B Movies", "Workshy" and "Cherchez La Femme". He has been called the group's chief songwriter and 'unseen fifth poodle'.

Essays

Parsons contributed the essay 'Brian Coffey and The Two Fat Ladies' to the monograph 'Other Edens' on the life and work of

.''Keatinge, Benjamin and Woods, Aengus (eds) (2009). ''Other Edens: the Life and Work of Brian Coffey''. Irish Academic Press, Dublin. .

Artwork

Sculpture

Early Limestone Goddess by John Richard Parsons (b

Parsons' early sculptural work was influenced by the work of

Henry Moore Henry Spencer Moore (30 July 1898 – 31 August 1986) was an English artist. He is best known for his semi- abstract monumental bronze sculptures which are located around the world as public works of art. As well as sculpture, Moore produced ...

and

Barbara Hepworth Dame Jocelyn Barbara Hepworth (10 January 1903 – 20 May 1975) was an English artist and sculptor. Her work exemplifies Modernism and in particular modern sculpture. Along with artists such as Ben Nicholson and Naum Gabo, Hepworth was a leadi ...

, and his interest in archetypal themes grew after the publication of 'The Great Mother' by Erich Neumann. After visiting the

megalithic temples of Malta The Megalithic Temples of Malta ( mt, It-Tempji Megalitiċi ta' Malta) are several prehistoric temples, some of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, built during three distinct periods approximately between 3600 BC and 2500 BC on the island coun ...

in the 1980s, he began carving statues and figurines which drew their inspiration from

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

Mediterranean culture. He expanded his artistic repertoire in the 2000s after travelling in India. His experience of

Indian art Indian art consists of a variety of art forms, including painting, sculpture, pottery, and textile arts such as woven silk. Geographically, it spans the entire Indian subcontinent, including what is now India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, N ...

and

ethnographic art Tribal art is the visual arts and material culture of indigenous peoples. Also known as non-Western art or ethnographic art, or, controversially, primitive art, Dutton, Denis, Tribal Art'. In Michael Kelly (editor), ''Encyclopedia of Aesthetics. ...

initiated a period of experimentation with meditative, naturalistic and primal forms in different types of stone, resulting in the Stones Series. More recently, the driftwood of the Norfolk coast has given rise to the Assemblage Series of abstract sculptures.''Beneath the Lighthouse''. Online at http://johnrparsons.blogspot.com/2017/11/beneath-lighthouse-new-book-of-haiku.html. Retrieved August 2019. His work is in many private collections.

Works on paper

Parsons taught etching and lithography at

Central St Martins Central Saint Martins is a public tertiary art school in London, England. It is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London. It offers full-time courses at foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and a variety of shor ...

School of Art from 1962 to 1968. He works eclectically in both figurative and abstract styles. He has illustrated a wide variety of books ranging from natural history to poetry, as well as his own books of poetry with pen and ink drawings on abstract themes.''From 'Twenty Seven New Drawings' (with a reed pen)''. Online at http://johnrparsons.blogspot.com/2014/01/from-twenty-seven-new-drawings-with.html. Retrieved August 2019. He illustrated the volume 'Initial Response: An A-Z of Haiku Moments' by Maeve O'Sullivan,''O'Sullivan, M (2011). ''Initial Response: An A-Z of Haiku Moments''. Alba Publishing, Uxbridge. . and contributed artwork to three volumes of 'Blithe Spirit', the journal of the British Haiku Society.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parsons, John Richard British artists British printmakers 1941 births Living people Artists from Northampton Academics of Central Saint Martins English sculptors People educated at The Latymer School English-language haiku poets