It seems so long ago. I graduated in1972 with an art degree from the University of Central Oklahoma under one arm and no definitive plan of what to do with it.
After getting married and moving my bride to Ponca City, Oklahoma, I set up shop in a small interior design business. It paid the bills. I needed to make a living and they never tell you about the real world waiting outside the door when you leave college with an art degree. I wanted to paint. Painting was a serious past time that gradually developed into a full time job as I supplemented my income by selling my watercolors over the years. In 1978, I was awarded the first place prize at Watercolor Oklahoma, a nationally recognized competition held at the Oklahoma Museum of Art. The next year I exhibited in my first American Watercolor Society Exhibition in New York City.
My attention was diverted in the early 80’s when I began working in the oil business. After going almost totally broke with the complete collapse of the oil and gas industry in 1986, I began painting full time as a means of supporting my growing family. I later took a position as an art instructor at Northern Oklahoma College in 1988. At the same time, my wife Sheryl ran our gallery and framing shop, Third Street Gallery.
In 1990 I was awarded signature membership in the American Watercolor Society. I stayed at Northern Oklahoma College and taught both painting and drawing until I developed a line of poster images that launched Third Street Art Publishing in 1992. This was a giant undertaking, not without risks at that time in our lives. Third Street Art Publishing was quite successful and gradually grew into a very small wholesale poster publishing company with international distribution.
My images became well recognized throughout the gift and stationery industries and were licensed for product use worldwide. In 1996 Sheryl and I sold our company to Sunrise Greeting Cards in Bloomington, Indiana. I continued designing and illustrating for the greeting card and stationery industry until 2000 when I elected to begin work on my current body of images.
Nothing comes easy in life, and working as a freelance designer and illustrator is little different. The world of licensing is totally sales driven and the pressure never lets up. I wanted to paint for myself and put my personal thumbprint on something fun and different. I embarked on a ten-year journey developing the paintings that you see here. Enjoy this web site. It is Larry’s World, a world full of the imagined and unimaginable.
That is the thing about making art. The rules are all tossed out the window and it is up for the viewer and the artist to connect through whatever means possible. I am a long time collector of vintage toys and memorabilia. These collectables and found objects have become the models for my paintings. So, whether it is robots rocking to rock ‘n roll or windup penguins dancing on ice cubes in Hawaii, all is done in fun.
Like my poster designs of the 1990’s, my collection of whimsical paintings have become well recognized by a growing number of patrons and collectors. In 1996 I joined the Watercolor Honor Society as a former award winner in Watercolor USA Exhibitions. I began exhibition in Watercolor USA in 1995 and am a five time award winner to date.
Enjoy!
