Frances & Larry Parmann

Jody Parmann, a Port Huron native, was born an artist. From the time she was a small child, her mother taught her how to draw portraits. Independently, Jody honed her skills by drawing the characters, in the books she read, based on how they were described. Her father supported and encouraged her talents, by taking her to the beach to explore rocks and shells, often prompting her to describe the unique colors and shapes she found in them. Her dad would spend creative afternoons with her, building kites out of garbage bags and sticks, for example. No, the kites didn't fly, but that wasn't the point. The process of creating, exploring and experimenting is what stuck with Jody.

By the time she reached high school, her art teacher, Scott Magneson, recognized her talents, gave her direction and helped develop her skills. Also during this time, Jody discovered Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944). An accomplished musician and painter, Kandinsky is credited for painting the first modern abstract works. He was inspired by inner beauty, deep spiritual desire—what he called "inner necessity"—and a desire to create paintings with the same emotional power as music composition. He once said, "Color is the keyboard, the eyes are the harmonies, the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand that plays, touching one key or another, to cause vibrations in the soul." Kandinsky's influence can be seen in Jody's art—in her propensity for bright, brilliant colors and her desire to create and express herself across a multitude of art mediums, including painting, drawing and clay work.

The Shop

Soon after high school, Jody became immersed in the local art scene. She joined the Shop, a local art cooperative, in 2003 while attending St. Clair Community College. Shortly thereafter, she joined the Times Herald newspaper, honing her digital art skills while building ads and laying out pages. In 2005, Jody started her own freelance business, Muse Creative Design, a full-service graphic design firm, which she runs today.

Studio 1219

She is deeply involved in community art events. She is a major contributor to Studio 1219, an art gallery and incubator, assisting with the Studio's major fundraising events, such as the Art of Being a Woman and Renaissance Roam. She designed the official logo and t-shirt for the 2005 and 2006 Port Huron to Mackinac races and was chosen to paint the official Port Huron Sesquicentennial painting. Her work in the community can be viewed at Studio 1219, the Harborside Office Center on Desmond Landing, Port Huron High School and in the offices of the Community Foundation of St. Clair County, where she recently designed and painted a mural.

Jody's additional artistic endeavors include One Word One Idea, an art project inviting patrons to submit a word for her to interpret through painting, her high-demand paint pants fashion design project, face painting and, most recently, her Wish Bottle project. She runs her art studio out of her home, a loft in downtown Port Huron.