An acquaintance at Paisley Park arranged for Baltimore artist Steve Parke to get an assignment/audition for Prince.

Parke had to paint a design on the stage floor for the Lovesexy Tour. Parke had three hours to come up with a concept at Paisley before Prince departed for France.

Parke got the gig. And he kept on painting — staying on as art director and Prince’s personal photographer for 14 years.

Parke did everything from designing stage sets and working on video shoots to photographing album covers and designing souvenir T-shirts. And he continued to live in Baltimore, spending about one week a month in Chanhassen.

This fall, Parke, 53, published “Picturing Prince.” Ostensibly a photo book (some of his pictures are priceless, like Prince in furry bowling boots), the 240-page project also offers rare insights into

Prince as a creative entity and human being. With nearly every photo, Parke shares an anecdote about Prince’s music, M.O. or personality — or a conversation they had.

Parke will be in the Twin Cities on Sept. 19 for a Q&A session with ex-Prince keyboardist Morris Hayes at Barnes & Noble in Edina. First, the gregarious Parke answered some questions for the Star Tribune.

To read the interview: http://www.startribune.co...4683983/#1

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