A quick coffee with New Orleans-based Lawrence “LAW” Parker III
LAW’s loose acrylic and gold leaf mimics the golden light of “spring leaning into summer,” the time when revivals used to take place in LAW’s childhood. Abstract iterations of beige, mauve, turquoise, black and carmine create precarious symphonies of color. All of them have golden figures in the center, reinstating the artist’s credo that we’re each in the process of becoming, while our human foundation is at the very center of our being.
Nina Mdivani: You are in your favorite coffee or tea spot. Where is it located? What is the name of the place? What are the three things you see?
LAW: I’m sitting inside Café Du Monde located in New Orleans. I see a guy playing the trombone, people lining up for coffee and Beignets, and the Saint Louis Cathedral.
NM: What is the most exciting thing that is coming up for you in the next 1-2 weeks?
L: I would say my art show in New York, at the Black Wall Street Gallery.
NM: Why is the exhibition titled Freeman Revival: Inherited Past? What is it that ties all these 13 works together?
L: It’s an ode to my grandfather, Rev. Dr. Willie Freeman, Sr. I grew up in his church and it was mandatory to attend his church revivals. His sermons, actions and love are the reason I’m here today.
NM: How do you choose a specific color combination for specific works?
L: One of my grandfather’s favorite sayings was, “We are all golden.” This is the reason why every person in this body of work is painted in gold. I start with gold, then everything flows from there.
NM: You chose to move from New York back to the south, why?
L: My son Brilliant was born during the pandemic. It was really frantic in New York at that time, so we took a bit of a hiatus back south for safety and to be closer to family.