Upon first viewing Asheville, NC photographer, Parker Pfister’s photos, our initial reaction was: “Your work is like Grimm’s Fairytales came to life … in the best way possible.” He bursts into laughter.
“That’s actually a great description. Thank you,” he says, still laughing. Pfister’s photos are whimsical, unique, and a little bit twisted.
Pfister is fresh off of a successful gala at the Asheville Art Museum, where his work was shown under the theme of “Visions & Visionaries: A Marriage — O’Keefe and Stieglitz.” The gala was focused on the works of modernist painter, Georgia O’Keefe and avant-garde photographer, Alfred Stieglitz. Pfister displayed photographs that fit the style of both of these artists.
A LexJet customer for more than 10 years, Pfister is s a huge fan of LexJet’s Water Resistant Satin Cloth, a lightweight, water-resistant, wrinkle-resistant, tear-resistant polyester fabric that produces excellent image quality.
“I was having a gallery showing and the gallery had these awful sconces on the walls, so with the satin cloth, I was able to drape my work over the sconces, backlighting the photographs,” Pfister says. “It was a cool effect.”
Now, Pfister proudly displays his work on the satin cloth in the windows of his gallery. Since the cloth is so lightweight and transportable, it’s much easier for him to switch out window displays regularly.
“I love it. I use a bunch of it,” he says.
Pfister got his start at 6 years old when he acquired his first camera. The hobby turned into a lifestyle eight years later. “It was a picture of a toad. I entered the photograph in a contest at the 1982 World’s Fair, and won second place. I was 11,” Pfister says.
Thirty-three years later, and Pfister’s work has evolved from landscapes and weddings to eventually finding a niche with portraits. Pfister explained that he “aspires through failure” and finds inspiration from music, sounds, color, and the work of German photographer, Helmut Newton, known for his provocative photos that regularly graced the pages of Vogue.
“I’ll be inspired by something, an idea will come to me and I’ll write it down. I can go through and pick an idea, call up a model I know could fit the image I’m looking for, and shoot,” he explains. “I shoot every day.”
We look forward to seeing what he displays next.
