Entertaining With Your Paintings

Artist Kirk Larsen started out his still-life painting demonstration Friday for the at by picking up a full bottle of Johnny Walker Gold Scotch and quickly gulping half of it down in front of the audience.  He explained, after he wiped his mouth, that a half bottle is more interesting to paint than a full one. 

It’s not often an artist starts out a demonstration at the Art League that way.  He certainly got the attention of the approximately 60 artists in attendance.  Larsen fooled the audience though; it turns out the bottle was filled with apple juice.

“‘Defy mediocrity’ is an axiom I live by and one of my favorite quotes is ‘Imagination is more important than knowledge,’ by Albert Einstein,” Larsen said.

The second surprise of the night was Larsen’s selection of still-life objects besides the Scotch -- a shrunken head.  Why a little grey face with long hair?  For humor, Larsen remarked, and the fact that he received it for some acting work he did.  He called it his “MacGyver Award."

It was no surprise that Larsen is a film and TV actor as well as an artist with his entertaining style of demonstrating.  Sometimes an artist has a problem with a painting and he has the solution. 

“The secret to fixing a painting is beer,” he joked.  “After a few you think the painting is really good.”

Starting out with a simple 30-second sketch on paper, Larsen then drew on canvas, painted it in with local color and then developed the highlights and shadows with a range of colors and values.  He referred to the sketch to remind himself what the focus was so that he wouldn't get stuck on small details, because the still life set-up was complicated with many shapes and reflections.  It had a New Orleans-type of theme with the head, liquor and Mardi Gras beads.

Larsen’s oil paints are made by Utrecht because “they’re fluid but with body.  I used to paint with Winton for plein air but now they’re inconsistent.  I use bristle brushes by Princeton.  I used to have Grumbacher brushes but they lose hair faster than the middle-aged American male does.” 

Larsen, despite his antics, painted an impressionistic oil painting people liked.  Chris Klein, ALNC graphic artist board member stated, he is “very informative with materials and technique.  [He has a] great sense of humor in his teaching style.”

Tim Savage, ALNC vice president agreed and said, “We watched Kirk create a vivid representation of the still life.  From a blank canvas, step-by-step the pieces emerged. Beautiful!”

Larsen’s raffle was a watercolor seascape print entitled “Bearded Clammer” that was won by Pat DeTullio, an art league member from New Hyde Park.

“He is very versatile,” she commented.

Larsen, a Hicksville resident, has won over 90 awards, including the Katlin Family Seascape Award at the Salmagundi Art Club in New York City.  Visit www.LarsenStudios.com for more information and about upcoming art workshops in various mediums.

The next monthly meeting with a demonstrator will be March 25. Please visit www.ArtLeagueofNC.org for more information.