Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 17, 1994 TAG: 9404180109
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By KRISTEN KAMMERER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Parks Pegram Duffey III, a self-taught painter, has been gaining national attention for his whimsical depictions of historical landmarks, homes and celebrations. His style, described as "sophisticatedly primitive," combines simple perspective, festive colors and a touch of fancy.
With an eye for historical significance and architectural detail, Duffey blends elements from a location's past and present.
"I stick as closely to the original form as I can," Duffey said. "But I always throw in a bit of fantasy too, because if the painting is fun, then it's accessible to everyone."
Because his approach is more narrative than photographs or traditional paintings, Duffey has been commissioned by several colleges to re-create their campuses. To date he has painted the University of Richmond, Hollins College, Virginia Military Institute, the University of Virginia and St. Mary's College in Raleigh, N.C. He would like to try his hand at the Ivy League schools next.
Duffey has been drawing historic buildings since age 4 when he visited the ruins of Rosewell Plantation in Gloucester, Va., and tried to imagine what it might have looked like in its day. His interest in drawing continued through his years at Episcopal High School in Alexandria where, upon graduation, he won the school's Fine Arts award.
Intending to pursue architecture in college, Duffey changed his mind and decided to try painting full time. After spending four months in the Caribbean, where he developed his palette of bright colors, he returned to the United States and began promoting his work.
Today, his paintings can be found in private and corporate collections in the United States, France, the Caribbean, Great Britain, Italy, Japan and Switzerland. He considers his most significant commission, however, to have been by the National Republican Party. His painting of "The Festive White House and Presidents," was made into a print and sent to a half-million donors in celebration of President Bush's inauguration.
The painting for Tech, entitled the "Virginia Tech Montage," was commissioned by the Alumni Association after a Tech graduate in Richmond, who was familiar with Duffey's work, contacted Tom Tillar, director of Alumni Relations, and mentioned that the artist had an interest in painting the campus.
Tillar was excited by the prospect of having his office participate in the project from the ground up.
"It's very rare to have an artist willing to work with us to create a custom-designed piece," Tillar said. "In the past, artists have always offered us a finished product. But that's what was special about Mr. Duffey; he allowed us maximum input from beginning to end."
Much of the humor and charm with which Duffey enlivens his pieces is the result of extensive research. In preparation for painting Tech, he visited the campus several times and spoke with both students and alumni. He also looked through Tech's archives to see how the campus had looked and to get an idea of traditional campus activities and events.
"At first I was a little intimidated by the size of the campus," Duffey said. "There was such a wide range of architectural styles represented, from Gothic to colonial revival to modern - and so much diverse activity. I felt challenged to find a logical way to organize it all."
The answer, Duffey found, was to encircle the central image of Burruss Hall and the Drill Field with a montage of smaller scenes whose organization follows the change of seasons. Within each scene, he tried to include representatives of as many colleges as possible. If you look closely, you can find references to engineering, veterinary medicine and forestry.
"What's wonderful about the painting, and about all of Mr. Duffey's work is that it's so busy with subtle activity - you can always find something new you haven't seen before," Tillar said.
The Alumni Association has issued a limited edition print of the original painting and is selling them, unframed, for $75. Each of the 1,750 prints is signed and numbered.
A framed print is on display in the Alumni Hall at Tech.
You won't have trouble finding the flying Hokie.
by CNB