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Parker is a self-taught silversmith with a passion for incorporating Hopi and Tibetan
Buddhist iconography, ancient Native American petroglyphs, and other Eastern spirituality
influences into her designs. Parker has already gained much recognition within and
around Telluride, Colorado for her hand carved and silver stamped jewelry and belt
buckles. She has created a line of pins and belt buckles for the Telluride Ski Resort
(www.tellurideskiresort.com) and
also designs custom work for a private clientele.
Most of her pieces are punctuated by a symbol such as a wave or a spiral that evoke
a greater meaning. Parker has been significantly influenced by the Hopi people and
has even studied silversmithing with them in recent years. Other travels throughout
the American Southwest and China have inspired her work as well. It’s also important
to note that Parker uses recycled silver and stones or hand cut stones in her creations
in an effort to avoid the mining of precious stones and metals.
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Parker has worked as a river rafting guide in the Grand Canyon for Arizona River
Runners (www.arizonariverrunners.com)
for seven years. “Being in the Canyon woke me up to being real, to living in the
moment,” she says. “Being in a place like that opens the door to an awakening, a
considerable personal transformation.” In this vast corridor of the American Southwest,
Parker finds an endless amount of inspiration for her artistic creations. The Hopi
petroglyphs viewed on raft expeditions, for example, have been the source of many
of her design ideas. And, of course, there’s the endless series of waves and spirals
that shape the water, an essential element of all creation.
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Teaching skiing has been a passion of Parker’s for six years. She has worked with
children and adults at the Telluride Ski and Snowboard School for three years, largely
as a PSIA level 2-certified ski instructor. “I love to turn kids on to the excitement
of being on the mountain,” she says. The magnificence of the mountains of Telluride
and the serenity of the outlying area drew her to this remote Southwestern Colorado
location. Not surprisingly, Parker incorporates the striking beauty and energy of
Telluride into each piece of work.
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