Illustration celebrates WJE’s award winning restoration of The Old Chicago Post Office

I just completed a commission for Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. on the landmark Old Chicago Post Office. “A dazzling Art Deco poster that captures the essence of this colossal architectural structure,” said Parker.

1934 was a very good year in Chicago. A Century of Progress World’s Fair showcased the fabulous Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow automobile. Awesome Airships soared across the heavens as spectacular searchlights criss-cross the night sky.

And the Chicago Main Post Office — a magnificent Art Deco marvel was completed in 1934.

The Old Post Office — a mammoth architecture challenge became the award-winning restoration in 2019.

“H. G. Wells: A Time Traveler’s Life” print series is the National Parks Arts Foundation’s Instagram featured weekend post

This fine-art print series by Artist Rex Parker, “H. G. Wells: a Time Traveler’s Life”, commemorates the 125th anniversary of H. G. Wells’ first novel, The Time Machine. The H. G. Wells posters of Teddy & Franklin Roosevelt celebrate how each president championed national parks and the arts.

“The National Parks Arts Foundation does just amazing work, I am honored to be the featured artist on their weekend Instagram post,” said Rex.

The National Parks Arts Foundation (NPAF) works directly with select artists and the National Park Service (and their affiliates) to create unique Artist in Residency programs within the wonders of America’s national parks. The NPAF also works closely with museums, galleries, and curators to keep the residency programs relevant to the art world beyond the parks and bring the highest caliber of artists to the parks.

The NPAF has produced over 300 programs and supported over 120 artists through their National Parks Artists in Residence programs. This work is done in partnership with the National Park Service, connecting the parks with real working artists who are inspired by and working in the parks. The residencies also provide a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for artists to work on projects of their choice, away from the distractions of normal life.

Parker’s exuberant, Art Deco-inspired illustrations transport us back to the world of Wells and his thrilling era of iconic designers, writers, scientists, space explorers, world leaders, and one Invisible Man. You can check out “The Invisible Man” print on Instagram @nationalparksarts.

KNACK Magazine features “H. G. Wells: A Time Traveler’s Life” print series

KNACK Magazine is featuring Rex’s “H. G. Wells: A Time Traveler’s Life” print series in their Issue No. 74 (pages 66–77). This fine art print series by artist Rex Parker, “H. G. Wells: a Time Traveler’s Life”, commemorates the 125th anniversary of H. G. Wells’ first novel, The Time Machine.

“I am delighted to be part of the December Issue, No. 74 of KNACK Magazine,” said Rex. “Andrea Catalina Vaca, editor-in-chief, is dedicated to showcasing the work of artists of all mediums, and to discuss trends and ideas of art communities.”

KNACK’s ultimate aim is to connect and inspire emerging, working, and established artists. They strive to create a place for artists, writers, designers, thinkers, and innovators to collaborate and produce a unique, informative, and unprecedented web-based magazine each month.

Parker’s exuberant, Art Deco-inspired illustrations transport us back to the world of Wells and his thrilling era of iconic designers, writers, scientists, space explorers, world leaders, and one Invisible Man. You can also check out “The Invisible Man” on Instagram @knackmagazine.

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"H. G. Wells: A Time Traveler’s Life", a series of limited edition fine art prints by Artist Rex Parker — Now available! →

This fine-art print series by artist Rex Parker, H. G. Wells: a Time Traveler’s Life, commemorates the 125th Anniversary of H. G. Wells’s first novel, The Time Machine. But that’s just the beginning of a story that’s as much tapestry as tale.

Parker’s exuberant, Art Deco-inspired illustrations transport us back to the world of Wells and his thrilling era of iconic designers, writers, scientists, space explorers, world leaders, and one Invisible Man. Parker’s artworks showcase the fascinating personal connections between H. G. Wells and other timeless giants of his adventurous, long era: William Morris, George Bernard Shaw, Henry James, Oscar Wilde, Jules Verne, Jane Addams, Upton Sinclair, Albert Einstein, Neil Armstrong, Alvin Langdon Coburn, Frederic Goudy, C.F.A. Voysey, Winston Churchill, three Roosevelts (Theodore, Franklin and Eleanor), and even Chicago Alderman “Hinky Dink” Kenna.

Parker’s homage to Wells also includes the “Time Traveler in Tinseltown” print series, showcasing the intriguing connections between Wells and the top movie stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age, including Charlie Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford and Orson Welles. These prints not only offer a fresh look at luminaries of the past, they trace the magical influence of Wells on pop culture in modern novels, films and television. More than a science-fiction author, Wells’s endless curiosity about the world around him and its fascinating inhabitants made him an explorer in his own right.

From his American farmboy’s beginning in the Prairie State, Rex Parker expanded his world with an artist’s tools and talent, and with the assist of other extravagant minds including H. G. Wells. The author’s careful architecture of mysterious worlds inspired Parker’s own renderings which are both meticulous and exuberant. These posters honor the transcendent influence of Wells, an imagination that continues to reach into the future and graciously transports us along.