June 1971, 1971

BP371

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In June 1971 (1971), Parsons presents a dynamic composition of blue and gray forms against a vibrant red ground that evokes the warmth and brilliant light of summer. She created this lyrical surface with thin layers of paint, embracing the paradigm of flatness in Abstract Expressionism. Her particular approach to abstraction is on display, bold and expressive, never hard-edged and with a sense of gestural spontaneity. Along with the title, and the cloud-like shapes, Parsons captures not what a place or event “looked like,” as she described, “but what it made [her] feel.” As Lawrence Alloway explained, “Her imagery is persistently evocative of nature, not in terms of specific topography but as effects of light and color, the seasons or the sky. … She is cued by the color wherever she finds herself, by an evening sky, a flowering tree, a rock, plumage, and these remain, within the format of abstract art, the basis of her work.”