Today we’d like to introduce you to Larry White.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
My creative journey began at the age of 11 years old when I started playing the clarinet. I had natural facility and quickly transitioned to tenor sax and Musser vibes. By the age of 14, 1956, I was playing professionally with a small quintet called the “Blue Tones.” Our main gig was playing swing music and old standards, but several of us were interested in the creative aspects of Jazz and jammed on the side. In 1960 after leaving high school, I had enrolled at Chaffey College and discovered the Art Dept. I was initially drawn to ceramics but began studying all the arts. In 1962 I joined Sam Maloof, a legendary artist/woodworker living in Alta Loma CA. We bonded quickly because of our mutual interest in art. Our connectivity led to a 7-year apprenticeship with Sam. During this time I was married and rented a small house in a lemon grove next door that Sam had recently purchased. I set up a metalworking studio in the small garage and a ceramics studio in a converted chicken coop then Bonnie, my new wife, and I began a family with two little girls. My daily routine included full time with Sam making furniture, spending evenings with family until bedtime, then working till late with metal or clay. I worked alone with Sam for five years until he added three more employees. I continued working two more years in a small space that was crowded, raucous, and impersonal. My wife and I were divorced in 1969, and I took a position in the new Art Department at California State University at Fullerton. I worked with the crafts, sculpture, 3d design, jewelry, and metal forming classes. I eventually taught furniture design and beginning and advanced crafts. In 1970 after starting at CSUF, I established an environmental design business and began designing and fabricating small retail spaces, artful display, art, furniture, and whatever else came my way. I married a close friend and amazing fiber artist, Katherine Pros, in 1976 and we moved to Santa Cruz, CA. We bought a funky little house with a 20’ x 40’ building out back that we dived for studio space. We worked there for 13 years and became involved with a terrific art community. From 1980 -84 I worked at UCSC in the Sculpture Department assisting with metal, ceramic, and wood sculpture and bronze casting. I continued my own work throughout this time. In 1990 we moved back to SoCal and bought a house in Vista, CA. I set up a studio in the garage, and Katherine was commuting to her hand blown glass gallery in Laguna Beach.
On one of my semi-regular visits to See Sam Maloof, I learned that the state was planning to finally build the 210 Frwy which would pass through Sam’s property. Because it was on the Sacramento registry of historic homes of living artists, the state had to move him. I returned to work with him after 23 years to assist him through this traumatic time. The move took two years and was completed in 2001 at a new location in Alta Loma. Katherine and I moved the Gallery to Claremont in 1995 and re-established studio space in the back to continue working. Sam eventually passed away in 2009, and those of us who worked with him continued his legacy through the corporation he had formed to ensure the continuation of work. I left the Maloof Woodworker, Inc. in 2014 and became an Artist in Residence with the Sam and Alfreda Foundation for the Arts and Crafts. I interface there as a consultant and offer workshops and three day Maloof Inspired Woodworking classes each month.
Please tell us about your art.
I like the phrase, ”art is a process, not a thing.” I love the intuitive mental meander during creative activity. Most of my work is multimedia regardless of the discipline I’ve chosen. I tap into a stream of conscience that informs the direction a piece takes. In earlier times when I was working for clients, I designed for specific context with formal drawings of the pieces I had to produce. Now, I might make a dozen quick sketches of the “energy” I want a sculpture to evoke without any real detail. Absolutely anything can light my fire; it’s unpredictable, an overheard phrase, something I sense from the juxtaposition of dispiriting objects will trigger an image. The current series of large scale welded steel and beam sculptures were sponsored by the large “pump Jacks” found in oil fields sucking juice from the earth, amazing kinetic forms.
As an artist, how do you define success and what quality or characteristic do you feel is essential to success as an artist?
Success for me is to complete a creative endeavor that exceeds my expectations. I feel successful when my work is appreciated by my peers and is generally perceived in a positive manner. Anything else is just an accounting by the whims of taste. I think for ultimate satisfaction an artist should be steadfast in their work and totally committed to personal vision.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
Throughout my career, I’ve shown nationally, and my work is included in both public and private collections. The past ten years I’ve limited exhibitions to a few local galleries. I have a mixed media opening at Square I Gallery, in Claremont, CA, May 4 – June 30, 2019, and a concurrent opening of large sculptures at the Maloof Foundation Gardens in Alta Loma, Ca, May 5 – Dec 31, 2019. I also show periodically with Bunny Gunner Gallery in Claremont, CA.
Contact Info:
- Website: larrywhiteartmix.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/larrywhiteartist/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/larrywhiteartmix/
Image Credit:
Lauren Verdugo
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