John Richard Parsons (born 7 May 1941) is an English writer and artist, noted for his prize-winning haiku poetry. He taught etching and lithography at Central Saint Martins 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, England, on 7 May 1941. His mother had been evacuated as a refugee from the London Blitz 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 at Edmonton, London (1953–1958). He studied printmaking and painting at Hornsey College of Art (1958–1962). He has read and travelled widely, and cites the work of Arthur Koestler and Carl Jung as philosophical influences, and tantric Buddhism, Hinduism and tribal art 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 as a poetic mentor.

Work

Writing

Poetry

The poetry of Japanese haiku, haibun, senryu and tanka has been a strong influence on Parsons' writing, as has the evocative and concise poetry of Imagism. 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 (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 (1975–1980), including "Mirror Star", "Chicago Boxcar", "Bionic Man", "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 Brian Coffey.Keatinge, Benjamin, and Woods, Aengus (eds) (2009). Other Edens: the Life and Work of Brian Coffey. Irish Academic Press, Dublin. .

Artwork

Sculpture

Parsons' early sculptural work was influenced by the work of Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth, and his interest in archetypal themes grew after the publication of 'The Great Mother' by Erich Neumann. After visiting the megalithic temples of Malta in the 1980s, he began carving statues and figurines which drew their inspiration from Neolithic Mediterranean culture. He expanded his artistic repertoire in the 2000s after travelling in India. His experience of tantric Buddhism, Indian art and ethnographic art 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 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