Painting With A Purpose

"If you want to be a historical painter, let your history be of your own time, of what you can get to know personally — of manners and customs within your own experience."
-Robert Henri

Being able to spend a day painting in the studio is something I really enjoy but nothing beats painting with good company.  My mother, Cindy Larson, is also an artist and from time to time we get to work together and talk about art and why we enjoy making it.

Perhaps the hardest part of being an artist is trying to decide what it is you want to paint.  What inspires you? It may sound simple but there is much more to it.  I have to feel that my work has a purpose, a message that I wish to convey.  I want it to evoke a sense of passion and significance. With my paintings I like to believe I am translating the pages of history in a way that makes it more readable in a contemporary world.  

My recent work has been focused on traditional Christian imagery but I also like to explore the mythologies and legends of other ancient cultures and civilizations.  How do we relate to this past?  How has it shaped the world we see today? 

Above I am working on a painting called," Reclining Venus," (a goddess from Roman Mythology).  I am portraying a contemporary women who I believe embodies the traditional properties of the Roman Goddess of Love, beauty, and fertility.