As SCATE moves into its second month, we feel that it is time to address a few of our criticisms. For instance, it has been stated that we only praise the performing arts. What about the visual arts? For those of you who asked this question, here is our response: Trey Parker.
From oil paintings, to simple sketching, to amateur photography, this Cross Country record holder does it all. If you who enjoyed viewing the LOVE boxes set up at Burwell, and other locations around campus last year, you can thank Mr. Parker for it. Each box was designated a letter which was repeated in 5 different fonts; one font per side and a final blank side. Parker says the inspiration stems from Robert Indiana’s Love sculpture in New York. The idea is that each individual who sees the boxes can interpret and also arrange or rearrange the boxes to express themselves, hence the different fonts and locations. This self expression is what SCATE is all about.
The love box project, despite its creativity and impact on Wofford, is not Parker’s favorite piece. When asked which piece of his artwork he considered his top he said, “it’s a tie between an oil painting of my little brother and a charcoal, pen and ink of my girlfriend Kaitlin.” Unlike the LOVE boxes, which were done as a part of his environmental art class, these two pieces were simply inspired by the people closest to him.
Other sources of inspiration for the artist are music and nature. “The type of music really depends on my mood but mostly techno and a little Owl City” says Parker. For nature he often goes down to Glendale Shoals, home to Wofford’s environmental science department and one of Spartanburg’s most significant historical sites. While at Glendale he can simply be alone in nature and simply create without any distractions that you find inside the Wofford “bubble”.
During his first two years, he said classes, such as his environmental art and Interim for the Self-Taught Artist, helped him to “branch out and not be afraid to fail.” Upon graduation, this student-athlete and self-taught artist plans on going to law school. While his records on the cross country course may not remain in his absence, the dopeness of his artwork will be preserved in Wofford’s history forever.
-CAM(eron) Kimber
