Troy Parker’s Technofolk Travels

Friendly Wheels, Issue 56
October 2012

Featuring Amigo owner Troy Parker, Tyler, Tx.

Amigo owner Troy Parker is truly grateful for the gifts he’s been given in life. After finding his passion for art shortly after graduating high school, Troy was fortunate enough to be able to turn his passion into a business.

After graduating from John Tyler High School in Tyler, Tx., Troy pursued a series of computer graphics courses at Tyler Junior College.

Born with cerebral palsy, Troy said he sometimes found it difficult to share his thoughts and feelings with others, but found it liberating to express himself through the artwork, called “technofolk,” that he creates on the computer.

“When I’m creating art, I have control over what I want to do,” Troy said. “I like creating something that other people seem to enjoy, and it makes me feel good to be the ‘best’ at something. My art allows me to talk and share with people about the gift God has given me.”

At the urging of his instructor and classmates, Troy entered his first major piece, called Two by Two into a local competition, where it was chosen for publication. Troy began to see that his passion for art could become a big part of his life, and began his own business called TP’s HANDI-PEOPLE in 1990.

Troy always encourages people to pursue their passion in life. Here are his tips for finding and pursuing your passion:

• Find something you like to do. Troy enjoys creating and working on the computer, so he found a way to do both at the same time.

• Find people who are willing to help you improve your skills. The encouragement from Troy’s mom, class instructor and classmates motivated him to pursue his love for art. “It was a slow process, but I kept at it,” Troy said.

• Practice your skills and work to improve every day. Ask friends and family for suggestions and keep striving to do better and better.

• Don’t give up!

“We camp out at Ft. Wilkins State Park for two weeks,” Troy said. “The Keweenaw Peninsula is a beautiful area, and it is great to get together with other artist friends from all over the country for the shows.”

Troy continues to add artwork to his portfolio, and has plans to attend at least 10 art shows this year with his Amigo POV and service dog, Koda. Troy’s favorite piece , called The Promise, challenged him to learn new skills in the drawing program he uses. “I enjoyed creating the different animals and their shapes, and I like that it is colorful,” Troy said. “This piece reminds me that God’s promise is true.”

View more of Troy’s artwork at www.troysartwork.com.