Meet the Maker: Jay Parnell
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Photos: Courtesy of Jay Parnell/Harrison Center
Meet Jay Parnell, an Indianapolis artist whose work explores memory, faith and what we leave behind.
The inspo: Parnell grew up in a creative household, with an artist father and a mother who wrote poetry.
- His work blends historical storytelling and Christian imagery, reflecting his interest in spirituality and the passage of time.
- His faith has also shaped his practice. After becoming Catholic in 2020, Parnell began devoting more of his work to sacred art.
- "My art is an act of worship," he told The Criterion, newspaper of the Indianapolis Archdiocese, in 2024. He said he prays before painting, asking for his hands, heart and creativity to align with God's will.
Fun fact: Shortly after being received into Indianapolis' Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish, Holy Rosary's pastor commissioned him to create a painting of St. Josephine Bakhita.
Zoom in: Parnell works in different mediums. But his latest exhibition, "Dust" at the Harrison Center, explores life's impermanence through oil paintings on wood panels.
- With the exhibit, Parnell said he examines how "dust acts as a physical manifestation of memory and a proxy for humility."
What he's saying: "I hope to learn something every single time I paint, every time I create something," he told Harrison Center during a recent studio visit. "Becasue you'll do something with the brush that you had never done before."
Check him out: Dust is on view at the Harrison Center through Oct. 30.