LARRY REINHART
Painted Stories
In Northern Oregon, I spent much of my young life running through open fields and creating forts in the surrounding dense forests. I loved stories, using my imagination, and creating things with my hands. When I began to put my creative ideas on paper, I knew and had faith that one day I would share these ideas with others.
My paintings have unique qualities that are a direct result of my craftsmanship. I push my supplies to create surface texture and I am constantly remixing paints so the layers of colors are in a constant flux of change. I also use techniques of glazing, scrubbing and scumbling, all with controlled and purposeful movements. My finished paintings will grab your attention from across the room but it is when you come in for a closer look that you see the details, the little marks, and the dancing colors. To me this is like running through the fields and forest and noticing all the little creatures and plants that live there.
I use the painting’s surface as a stage to tame thoughts that are running wildly through my mind. Through my sketching, designing and painting phases, these thoughts become a story. Although the wild thoughts start off as very personal things to me I strive to present the final story / painting in a way that allows you to ponder over them and ingest your own meaning. I don't give you the ending, you create your own. It is you who provides the essential ingredients by reminiscing on your own ideas and life experiences. I have simply set a stage and supplied enough information so you can start your own process of engagement. After all, everyone who walks through the woods will see, feel, and remember various things and thus react differently.​
Bio
Larry Reinhart
Studio in Yucaipa, California
Raised in Northern Oregon, I spent much of my young life using my imagination, making up stories and creating things with my hands. When I began to put my creative ideas on paper I knew I would one day share these ideas with others. This led me to move to Southern California to pursue my artistic studies. I graduated with Honors of Distinction from the Art Center College of Design with a BFA in Illustration. Here I received my sought after formal education in traditional realist art and visual storytelling.
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After graduating, I immediately put my education to the test and entered the commercial illustration market where within I ran a successful business for over fifteen years. I worked with world renowned clients like Mattel, Leap Frog, Scholastic and Warner Bros - where I worked on visual development for the first Harry Potter movie. I really grew as an artist during these years but to be honest I was missing something; the freedom to create my personal art. So, in 2010 I officially quit all commercial illustration work so I could develop my own body of work.
