Memory, All Alone In The Moonlight…

Artist Parmelee Tolkan, well-known as a Costume Painter both on Broadway and on the Big Screen, has maintained a studio at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts since the early 90s. And, while she and husband actor James Tolkan (Top Gun, Back to the Future) have been living here in Lake Placid full time since 1987, her ties to the area go back much further than that; 2015 will mark 115 years that Parmelee’s family has been summering in Lake Placid.​ Splitting her time between NYC and Lake Placid, she has cultivated a thriving and very successful career as a working Adirondack artist for over 40 years now.

(Pictured here, sketches of the Lion King - Green Monster costume designed by Julie Taymor)

Today I had a chance to sit down with Parm in her studio; she shared her production photos, her design bibles, and detailed the costume painting process. I have been fortunate to have worked with her on several fundraisers and projects over the past two decades and knew a few of the highlights of her extensive resume: Cats, Lion King… however, I had no idea the full extent of her illustrious career, and as she outlines the credits under her belt, I find myself veering from my prepped questions and playing it by ear. You’ll have to excuse me if we jump around a bit - our conversation had us flashing back and forth through time as fun anecdotes presented themselves. (And, yes, today’s headers are themed according to one of her shows - just because I could.) 

Look, A New Day Has Begun…

Parm graduated from Smith College in 1968 - which happened to be a great bit of timing. During her college years, Smith opened a new building and many alumni were invited back to create a show for the inauguration. Parmelee was afforded the opportunity to work with several famous designers - including Willa Kim, the first person to innovate a system of painting her costumes to the specifications and colors she wanted. Using the human form as a canvas, and personalizing each individual detail to the specified body. Parm was inspired and credits Willa with teaching her everything she knows. After graduation, she hit the streets running (or painting as the case may be), and has never looked back. 

(Pictured above, Lion King - Nude Man costume designed by Julie Taymor)

I Am Waiting For The Day…

Before becoming a union member, Parm spent every Sunday for 2 years honing her skills at the Lester Polakov Studio of Stage Design, later known as the Studio and Forum of Stage Design. And, as she puts it, she attended when they still used, "dry pigments and rabbit skin glue."  Polakov employed some of the best known designers of sets, lights, and costumes to teach design. Two times she attempted the 6 week mandatory test to join the union; two times she failed. But, really, she was successfully working as a scenic painter on many shows - did she really need to be part of a union? She thought no - until…

And I Mustn’t Give In…

She was working as a Scenic Artist in charge of her own crew - one of them a fellow student that had become a union member. After he made an egregious mistake on a very intricate piece of scenery that they were working on, Parm was infuriated. She left the building nearly in tears and wandered around a not-so-great-part of the city, then she took action. She saw a pay phone, deposited a dime (yeah… .10 cents - remember those days!?!) and called the union to find out when the next test was. As luck would have it, she called on the last day that she could register for the test that year. She went down, registered, took the 6 week test which included everything from lettering to landscape painting, molding to costume painting, and passed. Forty years later she has never regretted that move; United Scenic Artists 829 has been very good to her.

Another Day Is Dawning…

Parm broke ground over and over, but breaking into an old-boys’ club wasn’t always easy. She knew she had to put her mind to it and learn the older methods if she wanted to be successful, so she did. She went on to work on the original hit movie, Hair, and established a great working relationship with that Designer; they went on to do projects together for the next nine and a half years. Projects lasted on average about 3 months, and though I’m admittedly not good at math - I’d say that’s quite a lot of shows.

And A New Day Will Begin…

Then, an opportunity presented itself, and she couldn’t say no. She was asked to be a costume painter for Daphnis et Chloe. The show was designed by the famous Willa Kim - whom she had worked for briefly in college. This was the start of a long and prosperous career in costume painting.

She was the head Costume Painter on the movie, The Wiz. She worked on Cats for the duration of the 18 years it ran on Broadway - and actually has the distinction of painting the very first and very last costume that was worn on stage. She has painted costumes for shows ranging from the circus, to ice shows, to superheroes.
 

Let The Memory Live Again…

(aka I didn’t quite play 20 questions - but I’ll admit, I needed to satisfy my own curiosity about a few things…)

Proudest accomplishment? Immediately out comes a portfolio from three ballets where she was the head Costume Designer. Two were for ballets in Spain, one for the Washington National Ballet Company. I had to include the pictures - the sketches and instructions were extremely detailed as her painters were a continent away.

Most memorable job? Dracula’s Cape designed by Eiko, and based on the artwork of Gustav Klimt. The cape was on screen for approximately 3 minutes during the Coppola classic and yet it took 3 full months to make it; It was the first time Parmelee thought she might not finish a project on time. The intricate piece was made of a thin brass woven fabric from India. Parm had to figure out a method to apply the copper and gold leaf and paint, this was yet another groundbreaking task and included a great deal of trial and error. Finally she devised a method using masking tape to create the lines she needed, and then using a spackling knife to apply a soft gel concoction that dries clear. She also needed to paint three identical icons to be placed on the cape for filming different takes. Once completed she flew to California with the cape safely tucked into it’s own seat next to her on the plane. On the set the delicate piece began to come apart and it quickly needed to be backed with chiffon. It was fine for film, but so fragile it would never have made it on Broadway - it was by far, her biggest costume challenge.

I Can Smile At The Old Days…

Now, in the age of technology, costume painting is a bit of a dying art. Parm is one of the 5 remaining costume painters employed by Parsons-Meares, LTD, specializing in made to order costumes for stage, film, dance, and opera. Luckily, at this point although computers can replicate an original, they have not yet been able to actually create the original piece. So, whereas Parmelee used to paint approximately 50 individual costumes for, let’s say, The Rockettes, now she will produce one original, and they will be screen printed and mass produced from that one piece. Luckily technology still can't quite match the human eye for artistry. (pictured below: Rockettes costume designed by Frank Krenz​)

Along with the advent of computers and FedEx came the opportunity for Parmelee to spend the majority of her time working from her Adirondack home. She has virtually been telecommuting since before "telecommuting" was a known-term. These days, Parm really only travels to meet new designers so they can put a face to a name; she works almost exclusively from her home and studio in Lake Placid. And, while the Adirondacks has acted as muse for many aspiring and professional artists, I feel fairly confident in claiming that Parmelee is the only member of United Scenic Artists 829 concentrating in Scenic Art and Costume Painting that lives here full time. She is one of a rare breed. And, after 40 years, she still loves what she does. She loves the challenge of figuring out how to translate the original thought into a working costume piece.

Look, A New Day Has Begun…

These days, Parmelee is focusing on a new medium: acrylic on watercolor paper. She is designing little miniature nighttime scenes and quite enjoying it. You can currently view her new work at A Point of View Gallery in Lake Placid. It is quite the change from painting full-size bodies and sets; and she is enjoying this new venture immensely. 

Bonus Question - The Meaning of What Happiness Is...

(aka, yes, I had to ask just to get it on the record - so for those of you that love a good romance…) 

Parm met Jimmy on the set of Pinkville; he was an actor, she a prop girl. It is a classic theatre love story - they have been married for 44 years. No, Jimmy had no ties to Lake Placid before knowing Parm. Yes, luckily, he loves the area as much as she does since her parting bit of wisdom was as follows: "If you love someone, and they don’t love Lake Placid, you shouldn’t marry them."

Luckily, we are fortunate to have such talented artists living, working, and calling the Adirondacks their home.