Drawn From Memory is the name Rosemary & John Parr give to their art for two main reasons.
Firstly, in creating their art, they draw on their memories. In fact, their style is sometimes described as reminiscent of the 1970's (back in fashion again) - a time from which they both have strong memories.
Secondly, some of their art is created using digital technology, from capturing an image that's manipulated to produce an artwork, through making images using the software package's brushes, to printing the finished works. In other words, they draw on the computer's memory.
Rosemary & John Parr have had lifelong interests in art. Rosemary studied Fine Art for a short time at university and around then bought her first camera as a way of expressing her artistic ideas.
John's interest in colour and painting goes back many years, including, for a time, creating airbrush art on custom vehicles. By complete contrast, in his photography, he draws inspiration from Ansel Adams, the master of black and white images.
Rosemary & John set up a commercial photography business in 1997 but they also produced art prints from some of their photographs. Tthe most dramatic impact on their work was when they switched to digital photography for their clients. It gives them limitless scope for expressing their artistic ideas and enables them to experiment with many more techniques than previously possible.
Since 2004, they've also been using encaustic painting as an art form. This ancient means of producing art - it dates back to Roman and Egyption civilistations - gives results that are always unique. No two pieces are ever identical.
