Scottie Parsons, a widely traveled artist residing in Wichita Falls, has created an array of works on canvas and paper that embrace the idea of discovery, passage and progression. Until the late twentieth century, man's knowledge of space has been academic, mathematical and difficult to perceive. With the advent of space travel, both manned and unmanned, we now have a clearer understanding of the vastness and the beauty of infinite space. Parsons continues to romanticize this infinity in fields of rich color that are so characteristic of her work. The ability to convey an almost atmospheric environment on canvas and paper is a magical gift she is willing to share with us.

"Raingiver 2000," a large oil on linen, evokes a sense of amazement and provides a glimpse of the possibilities we have yet to discover. Painted in vibrant greens, reds, blues and black, "Raingiver 2000" interprets a detailed aerial shot of what the surface of a planet might look like without giving any detail to a specific landscape. The brush strokes are irregular and the color rutted enough to indicate a very hostile terrain, yet the deep hues of red and bright green are tied together by spirited text that gives the surface of the painting the appearance of an agitated atmospheric environment. In another large painting, "Time Poetry", the vast blue scape seems to emulate space and the boundaries of bright yellow on the painting's edge cause one to acknowledge our limitations of understanding the universe.

Photographs from NASA's Galileo orbiter of the surface of Jupiter, among other things, revealed over one hundred volcanoes. "Cantos of Pele," is an interpretation of the volcano on Jupiter's moon 10. Painted in rich reds and browns, this oil painting on paper offers a look at the gaseous atmosphere one might experience in the presence of an eruption of Pele. In this painting Parsons creates a visual sensation that one can only imagine. She offers the viewer a glimpse of her imagination when thinking about the possibility of such a planetary vista.

Parsons continues her use of writing on many of the paintings. "Cosmic Dust," a large red monochromatic painting, is covered with writing that has been all but obliterated, much like an aging, graffiti covered wall in a large urban city. The use of this technique not only adds a visual texture, resulting in a surface undulating with color and depth, but also provides another level of investigation, as the text often relates to poetic writings or philosophical theories. Parsons breaks up what would otherwise be a large color field with subtle areas that have interest and an artistic character unto themselves. Scottie Parsons believes that "art should speak for itself and hopefully, like music and poetry, inspire in the viewer a sense of wholeness and connectedness."

Parsons has traveled extensively and studied at the Santa Fe Art Institute with masters such as Richard Diebenkorn Helen Frankenthaler, Nancy Graves, Nathan Oliveira and Joan Snyder. Her works were recently the subject of a one person exhibition at the Museum of Fine Art in Wichita Falls.