Visual AIDS mourns the loss of artist, activist & VA member - Robert Miles Parker.
Robert Miles Parker was best known for his beautiful and studied line drawing of both old and new building in New York, Los Angeles, San Diego and everywhere else he visited. Miles would take his drawing board, pens and chair with him, and sit and draw for hours. In his own words:
"I like to paint and draw the wonderful stuff that I see - architecture, objects, and people. I am knocked out by color, both the bright yellos and greens of San Diego, where I grew up, and the darker reds and grays of Manhattan, where I nowlive. I have a need to paint and draw to record the visual glories of the world I live in"
He was also a leading architectural author and preservationist for over 30 years. He founded San Diego's Save Our Heritage Organization (SOHO) in 1969, one of America's oldest preservationist groups.
Miles work has been collected and exhibited widely, including a retrospective at The Museum of the City of New York in 2006. He published three books: Images of American Architecture (1982), L.A. (1984), and Upper West Side: New York (1988). His work also garnered him national attention, including two appearances on the Today Show with Barbara Walters.
Miles was always so very thoughtful and sent many notes to the staff at Visual AIDS. In one of his letters, he writes
"I have to draw. I have to paint. I have to be joyful - for my friends who are all gone, and for me. My living with AIDS and my silently watching my friends die has given me that duty. I must draw and paint for them. Being alive has produced a duty and to fill it with joy - that's a very important part"
Robert Miles Parker is survived by his longtime partner, David Van Leer.
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