Violet Parkhurst Art

Violet Parkhurst was born in Derby line, Vermont. She showed an early penchant for drawing. She later attended the School of Practical Arts in Boston, won a scholarship to the Museum of Fine Arts in Rio de Janeiro, followed by a year of study at Baylor College in Waco, Texas. She then finished her formal training at Los Angeles State College. Believing that an artist should see the world before they can become a great artist, Parkhurst indulged her longings and visited every state of the Union, then Canada. In Mexico City, she studied art for three months with Diego Rivera's wife. She received a scholarship to the Rio de Janeiro Museum and was off to South America. On her way to Rio, the ship she was on, had to drop the passengers in Natal, Brazil due to a revolution. They had to use the ship for Army personnel. She then rented a house in Natal, Brazil, studied Portuguese and wrote and illustrated a book. It was entitled, Jaguar By The Tale! and was published in Rio. Here, she painted pictures of the natives, the fruit markets and huts, all of which she sold. To pay for the travel, she became a Foreign Correspondent for movie magazines published and distributed in South America. She interviewed most of the major stars, including Clark Gable whom she dated. In the Spring of 2002, Violet Parkhurst was invited to China, where she was honored as the first western artist to have paintings in the collections of The Great Hall of the People's Republic of China and the China National Museum of Fine Arts. She also earned the distinctive title of Professor Emeritus at the Jilin College of the Arts. Her paintings are in eight museums worldwide and she is listed in Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in International Art, Community Leaders, Noteworthy Americans and American Artists of Renown. A world renowned marine artist, Parkhurst passed away on January 13, 2008, in San Pedro, California.