Biography
J. D. Parrish was born John David Parrish at Lone Pine, California on January 22, 1956. His name was geared specifically to be nicknamed by his initials, and he has been J.D. all his life. Parrish's childhood was nomadic; his family averaging one move a year. At the age of 15 he moved to Western Samoa in the South Pacific where he attended high school. His Samoan school did not have art classes and his first exposure to the art world came in college where he fell in love with the Old Masters and the Classical paintings of the 19th century. Parrish devoted most his studies to the figure and believes that any emotion can be communicated and evoked through the expressions and articulations of the human form. In 1983, Parrish attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California and majored in Illustration. With the intense training he received there he was able to work with a wide variety of mediums and techniques. The principles of communication and form he practiced and learned at the Art Center have proven invaluable to his work. After graduation in 1986, Parrish went to work as an illustrator. Currently Parrish teaches illustration, drawing and painting, and continues to paint and work as an artist. Some of his clients include Touchstone; Paramount Pictures; Universal Studios; Warner Brothers; Disney Studios; CBS Television; Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus; Marriott Inns; Red Lion Inns; Double Inns; America West; Honeywell Corporation; and Swensens.
