Meet Larry Deeds | Fine Artist & Student of the World

We had the good fortune of connecting with Larry Deeds and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Larry, looking back, what do you think was the most difficult decision you’ve had to make?
Like most of us, I’ve made a LOT of difficult decisions over my lifetime, so it’s hard to pick one. That said, I’d probably say the hardest was the decision to retire. After having worked on-and-off since I was 16, it’s hard to decide to purposefully be “unemployed” after 50+ years! On the run-up to that decision, I had made a list of “Things To Do When I Retire” and it was about 25 items. I’ve done most of them: I started to paint again, after an 8 year break. I rejoined the Allied Artists of the Santa Monica Mountains & Seashore, and rejoined the Board of Directors as both Secretary and Graphics Chair. I joined the Westlake Village Art Guild and became a Board member there as well, being the Director of Social Media Marketing. I’ve been in 3 art exhibits over the last year and am currently running 2 simultaneous exhibits now: at the Westlake Village Public Library, and with the Arts Council of the Conejo Valley. I’ve joined 2 hiking groups and am out hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains very frequently. And my Siberian huskies get 2+ mile walks most days! I’m busy!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve been focused on drawing since I was 8 or 9 years old, and used to come home from school and watch “Learn To Draw with Jon Gnagy” on TV. As I grew, I realized that there were limits to the grayscale of graphite pencil and wanted to work in color. I tried colored pencil, being the most logical next step, but found it to be too narrowly detail-oriented for me. 30 years ago, I started attending art seminars put on by Artists Magazine and fell in love with the simplicity of watercolor.

Eventually, my love of drawing became a larger and larger part of my paintings, especially when I discovered the fun of ink drawing as the foundation for my painting. While many people use a sketching technique called “line and wash”, i.e. a few brushstrokes of color to enhance an ink drawing, my technique is to build a full drawing in ink, then paint a detailed watercolor over it, sometimes adding additional ink lines to further enhance the watercolor brushstrokes. While many illustrators use this technique, I’ve seen very few fine artists that do, so in that way, my work is somewhat unique.

I’m happy to say that I’ve sold a lot of work and won quite a few awards as well. I’m very proud of the work.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Given that I paint “en plein aire” a lot, I would take my friend to some of the most gorgeous places in the Santa Monica Mountains and seashores that I’ve painted. The “pocket” beaches in Malibu, El Matador being my favorite; Point Dume and the Westward Beach area; the expansive view from the Valley to the beach up on Sandstone Peak; up to Santa Barbara for tacos at La Super-rica (Julia Child’s favorite taco stand), and walking the arts & crafts show on Cabrillo next to the beach on Sunday; fried seafood and sitting on the picnic tables overlooking the ocean at Malibu Seafood, and driving PCH back home; sushi with the sound of crashing waves at Nobu. SO many places to take them!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I couldn’t do what I do without the love and support of my wife, Karen Deeds. She keeps me grounded and she makes me laugh. I also have to call out the many teachers I’ve had over my art career. The late Alan Cochran, who taught me about commercial art and graphic design when I went to El Rancho High School. My friend and mentor Cathy Quiel, a wonderful watercolorist with a great eye and someone who’s advice I appreciate very highly. I continue to study with her and attend her workshops every few months up in the Santa Barbara area.

Website: https://www.larrydeeds.com

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