Del Mar resident presents exhibition at Del Mar Plaza’s Seewald gallery

Del Mar artist Todd Parker, who also goes by TP The Artist, displayed some of his works at the Michael Seewald gallery on the third floor of Del Mar Plaza on Feb. 25.

“Mainly I like to paint on canvas with plaster and acrylic, it’s my main thing,” said Parker, who has lived in Del Mar for about 20 years. “And I never go into a painting knowing what I’m going to do. I don’t even know what color I’m going to start with, I don’t know what’s going to happen, I just let it ride.”

Many of his pieces have more abstract designs, including one with streaks of red, yellow, black, green, white, silver and gold.

“One color at a time, with acrylic on plywood it dries really fast so I can go straight to another color instantly, which is what I really like to do, I like to go fast,” said Parker, describing his process.

One of his works, “Sunflower Eye,” shows a quadrant of a human face, centered on an eye splashed with yellow.

“I decided it was time to paint something human, which I don’t do, it’s very rare,” Parker said, adding that it was one of the few works he’s completed with a preconceived idea of how he wanted it to look. “I’m more abstract obviously.”

Parker is giving a portion of his sales from the Seewald exhibit to the Samuel Lawrence Foundation, an advocacy group that has filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn a decision by the state’s Coastal Commission to dismantle the San Onofre nuclear plant.

Another piece called “Blue Tendon” was inspired by the time he blew a tendon. Parker, who has also been involved in the community as a baseball coach and a surfer, added that the feedback on his work has been positive so far.

For more information, visit styleyouout.com and seewald.com.