What is the latest news from Larry Smith?
LARRY: Our newly-constructed art gallery in Norcross, GA is completed and I am enjoying painting and meeting with art patrons who come to see the work.
Where have I seen your art before?
LARRY: Over the last 4-years literally millions of people have seen my work at various art shows and in galleries. Our work can also be seen in the January, February and May issues of American Art Collector magazine.
Did you do commissioned paintings?
LARRY: Yes. People are asking for comissioned landscapes, portraits and people-scapes (landscapes with people in them.) I have travelled to homes to meet and photograph families before painting them. People have sent me photos of their favorite place and asked me to paint it in my style. I just finished painting a little girl chasing a chicken. It was wonderful. If you have somethng in mind, let’s talk. See COMMISIONS section for more information.
Did you make these questions up, or did someone really ask you these questions?
LARRY: Yes.
Do you ship your work?
LARRY: Yes.
What are your shipping and handling costs for a print?
LARRY: Shipping and handling for a print costs about $9.50.
What are your shipping costs for an original framed painting or a framed giclee on canvas?
LARRY: Shipping and handling for an original framed-painting or framed giclee varies. Once an order is placed, we check with our shipper to see how much for the destination and time of delivery needed. Then we let the buyer know.
Do you accept credit cards?
LARRY: Yes. We accept American Express, VISA, Discover and MasterCard
Do you have a gallery?
LARRY: Yes, a brand new one. in Norcross, GA. Just outside of Atlanta, GA.
What are your studio hours?
LARRY: We travel a lot, so call. 404.314.3996.
Does your prices posted for an original oil painting on this site include a frame?
LARRY: Yes. The price allows for a frame. We feature a simple black or gold frame.
Do you sell your paintings without the frame?
LARRY: Yes.
Do you have a website?
LARRY: Yes. (I think you may need some coffee.)
Do you do commission work?
LARRY: Yes. I do portraits and commission landscapes. Call me to discuss. Go to COMMISSIONS above to see more.
What if I want a painting that you have already sold?
LARRY: Because of the way I paint, no two paintings are alike, I am comfortable repainting a subject matter. Many times people ask me to paint a new painting for them based on a previous painting. Sometime I have painted smaller paintings in a larger size. Everything changes. More detail is added. If you have something in mind. just call me. Monet painted over 50 haystacks.
When did you begin painting?
LARRY: In high school.
Where did you go to college?
LARRY: Auburn University.
What did you major in?
LARRY: At first veterinary medicine. But once I realized I did not enjoy any class that ended in “ology” I transferred to Graphic Design. I received a degree in Visual Design. While in school, I took every painting class I could.
What did you do after college?
LARRY: I married the love of my life, my college sweet heart, Pam. We began a family with three kids, a dog and a cat. I began a career in advertising. I was an art director at three of the South’s largest advertising agencies. Then in 1983 I started my own advertising agency.
Who has influenced your work?
LARRY: The French Impressionists. Especially Vincent Van Gogh, Monet, Cezanne and Pissaro. My three children. My wife. Small children. Plus my high school art teacher Mrs. Painter. My college professors — Hugh Williams and Tazewell Morton. I love to read about the Impressionist artist and can often be found being a sponge in an art museum.
Has your work ever hung in a museum?
LARRY: Yes. One month after I graduated from college, I entered a competition in Birmingham. One of my first paintings was juried into a show and my painting hung in the museum.
Would you say your work is in the ”Pointialism” style?
LARRY: My work reminds many people of some of the ways George Seaurt placed color dots next to each other to allow the viewer to mix colors visually. A green dot next to a blue dot would yield a dark green color from a distance. But I do not work in dots. I work with brush strokes. Bigger than dots. My work is more “Dash-a-lisim. Imagine Vincent Van Gogh and George Seaurt having a baby.”
What does the term “Fun-a-lisim” mean?
LARRY: I strive to paint paintings that uplift the spirit. If my paintings were in the movie Star Wars, they would be hanging in Obi-Wan Kenobi’s house. Or Yoda’s. Not Darth Vadara’s.
Why do people enjoy your work?
LARRY: They like the colors. The movement. Plus my paintings tend to be “happy” paintings. I enjoy painting. It makes my heart smile. I believe I am able to capture this joy in my work.
What is the most difficult thing about painting?
LARRY: Forgetting to clean my brushes. And remembering that it is time to clean my brushes.
How long does it take you to complete a painting?
LARRY: Every painting is different. Each painting has a different time-frame. Each takes a different amount of time. I have one painting that took over a year, and another that took just over a day. The challenge is knowing when the painting is finished.
I start out with an idea of where I want to go, but along the way the painting takes on a life of it’s own. I have done a 24”x 36” oil painting in two days. I have one 11” x 14” oil painting that took one year. Sometimes while at an art show I will notice a painting that I thought I had finished and see something new I want to add. I have even pulled out a brush and painted on a painting while it hung on the wall.
How many art shows do you do a year?
LARRY: In 2006 and 2007 we did about 34 each year. This year we will probably do about the same.
Where have you recently shown your work?
LARRY: W have traveled as far south as Miami. As far west as Austin, Texas, as far north as Chicago and as far east as Virginia Beach.
Why do you do so many art shows?
LARRY: Two reasons. My wife Pam and I have set a goal to eat at every “Cracker Barrel” in America. Secondly, we want to explore different markets for my work. Also they are a lot of fun. Make that three reasons.
What is the process to be accepted into the art shows?
LARRY: Most art shows we enter are juried art shows. You just don’t apply and you are in. The secret jury looks at your work. They make their choices, then send smoke up the chimney to alert the anxious artists. Or they may place one or two lanterns in the church tower. But mostly they send letters or emails.
The shows have deadlines requesting 3-5 examples of your work, plus a visual of your booth display. Some shows have as many as 2,000 artists applying for 200-300 positions. Competition is strong. The shows require a jury fee (usually $25-$40) and when accepted a booth fee (anywhere from $150 to $600).
You often use Biblical themes for inspiration? Why?
LARRY: I love reading the Bible and I love to paint. Both are in my heart. Often they overlap.
Do you travel with your dog?
LARRY: Yes, Abbey, the wonder dog, our high-spirited English Setter, loves to travel with us. She does not bite, knows over 100 words, enjoys sweets, likes to point birds, squirrels, bunnies, and kitties. She likes coffee. Drinks a bowl of water every night at 10:30pm. Knows how to smile, bark, roll over, shake, lie down, stay and whisper. She is still working on the command “come”. She will let you pet her, but she is very shy. She can easily be identified because she looks like one of my paintings. Lots of spots and sometimes a hint of blue or red where she has wagged her tail on a wet canvas.