Larry Preston grew up in Worcester, Massachsuetts, home to the Worcester Art Museum, where he spent time studying and copying its collection of Flemish still lifes when he was in his teens. At the same time, he was into music and played in several Massachusetts bands—a career that spanned 25 years.
Pitcher of Lilacs, oil on linen panel, 12 x 16"
When asking how his two careers relate, he responds, “I do not consciously think about music while I am painting but because I do both, I am sure that the two interact. When I first begin formulating my ideas for a painting, I do not usually hear music or any musical references in my head, but when I am playing music I do see colors and images in my head.”
His paintings are of ordinary things, full of subtle color gradations and relationships.
Daffodils, oil on panel, 24 x 22"
“I paint what I find beautiful,” he says. “I do not paint to be relevant, for an audience or make any statement other than the beauty to be found in the objects I choose to paint…I find that, in this modern world, there is too little observance of the beauty in our surroundings. The real importance in our lives. I paint to remind myself what I find important and beautiful and to experience the process of painting my chosen object. I paint for myself and the process. I am very pleased that my work resonates with people.”
Pansies, oil on panel, 16 x 24"
In Pitcher of Lilacs, a bouquet of freshly picked lilacs tumbles out of a blue and white Chinese pitcher. While the viewer might have seen lilacs blooming in dooryards and admired the overall effect of purple, Preston portrays the nearly infinite gradations of color in the flowers and the changes made by light playing off them as well as through them. The effect of light is more pronounced in his humorous painting Gimlets, the classic cocktail made of gin and limes.
Gimlets, oil on linen panel, 16 x 20"
Preston begins his still lifes in a studio with ever-changing south light. There, he paints alla prima and can quickly capture a narrow window of light on his still life. “The north light studio is where I work on paintings that take many days and sessions and where I finish all work, even the alla prima work,” he explains.
His latest still lifes will be shown at William Baczek Fine Arts in Northampton, Massachusetts, May 5 through June 12.
William Baczek Fine Arts
36 Main Street • Northampton, MA 01060
(413) 587-9880 • www.wbfinearts.com
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