Jan Parker was born in 1941 in Southport, England, to an English father and a Danish mother. His parents pushed him to draw and tour the art museums throughout London. Their intentions were to have Jan be inspired by the work of some of the legends in the art world. His parents strongly believed that inspiration would be the key to developing his innate artistic skills. His great, great grandfather is credited for making the four life-sized lions that stand guard in front of the Royal Danish Throne in Frederiksborg Castle in Denmark. Another relative, Axel Lassen, is a well-known Danish landscape painter. Parker studied at the Willesdan School of Art in London where he became better acquainted with the works of the French Impressionists. He was greatly moved by the works of Monet, whose influence was evident in the future of Jan's artwork. In 1980, Parker moved to New York and made a choice to dedicate himself completely to painting. He moved his canvases outside and painted directly from nature, like the French Impressionists had done. Familiarizing himself with nature seemed to be ideal direction for his art. In 1982, his oil paintings were shown at The Horizon Gallery in New York. This resulted in successful shows in Houston and Dallas, Texas.