Larry Lerew
As in years past, “The Painted Word” returns with another art personality. Long before I ever wrote for TheBurg, another artist and writer covered the scene with his revolutionary art journal in the 1980s called “Local Color.” In fact, the then-freshly minted board president at the Art Association of Harrisburg, Carrie Wissler-Thomas, wrote feature stories for his publication. It’s obvious that Larry Lerew knew talent when he saw it. For the rest of his art journey, continue reading and happy holidays to all.
Santa’s Workshop
The gyroscope on the compass was spinning wildly out of control. Somehow the directional arrow pointed south when every ounce of reason told us the North Pole was well…north. And yet the destination blipped and beeped—Dillsburg.
Once off the main road of 11/15S, the curves and landmarks resembled the way to grandma’s house, although we had already crossed the river and were now into the woods or at least a countryside glen. Before we knew it, we had arrived at 130 Century Lane and parked in front of a red-doored, two-story building that, from the outside, appeared to be Santa’s workshop. Lo and behold, a jolly elf stepped out to greet us, bidding welcome to Larry Lerew’s Art Studio and Gallery. Elves come in all shapes, sizes and ages as Larry introduced his wife, fellow elf, Pam. For decades now, Larry has only been too happy to help “The Man in the Red Suit” with his vintage art creations. Working with recycled paper, then upcycled into wondrously affordable wall hangings or table adornments, this elf takes great pride in making something kaleidoscopic out of old magazines, newspapers, cereal boxes and, yes, brown paper bags. That is truly thinking outside the box, if you catch my drift.
When Larry and I were kids, reading cereal boxes provided education and entertainment. Larry took it one step further, cutting and twirling, dovetailing and whirling them into magic for kids of any age. Let’s go back to the beginning, say about 50 years ago. Growing up in rural America in the late 1950s afforded Larry a childhood for creativity, sprung from what was laying around close at hand. Paper bags became Halloween masks and, a sturdy cardboard box, a makeshift sled. Necessity was not only the mother of invention, but often, sparked extraordinary ideas to produce gifts out of scraps. In Larry’s hands, voila!
“I’ve always relied on my imagination, observations and the creative use of a shoestring budget,” shared the artist. “Using basic art materials like scraps of paper and simple crayons fills my need to create something extraordinary from the ordinary. I believe someone can make good art with what they have on hand by thinking ‘what if.’”
It’s been said that left-handedness may be a sign of genius. Look to Mark Twain, Mozart, Aristotle, Barack Obama, Bill Gates, Brad Pitt and Larry Lerew. In good company, Larry looks to being a southpaw as lucky indeed, seeing things as an artist.
“When it came to shapes, color and texture, I could design in my head by using design principles and elements freely,” he said. “Working 10 years as a party caricaturist helped me improve my ability to sketch on the run. I was a regular ‘Quick Drew Lerew.’”
Art school provided the basics and foundation for form and theory, but Larry always thought far beyond the obvious. Sketching and painting plein air helped develop his signature style and method. Landscape studies, rich in color and texture, are captured vividly with his “crayon resist” method, lending them an air of immediacy.
The method first uses crayon to draw and then adds watercolor paint directly on top of the crayon. The crayon shows through, creating an eclectic effect. Perhaps the painting, “Flight of the Milkweed,” encapsulates the very essence of his highly individualistic style as colors mix and mingle, textures tantalize, and the buoyancy of milkweed in its mid-air flight is delicately defined and delivered. In Larry’s paintings, it is almost as if you can reach out and touch the wheat, smell the bouquet of flowers, step up into the truck, and climb the stone steps, finding yourself in the center. It doesn’t get any more real than that. They take you to familiar places, ones you would like to visit and explore. They enchant in their brushstrokes.
The upcycled side of Larry’s art is playful, colorful, twisty and turn-y, pulling pieces of this and of that, almost as if one is on a carousel, grabbing at straws of paper randomly, yet with meaning and purpose. Charm is captured in star clusters, heartstring spirals, chains of paper ribbon coils on a latticework fence, fanciful folded fans, and 3-D sculptures. All this upcycle art is readily affordable, starting at a mere $12, perfect for all the art lovers on your list. Hours for the “workshop” are Tuesdays and Saturdays from 2 to 5 p.m. Larry and Pam invite you to the farm to visit their second-floor studio to experience the magic.
Epilogue
There is a simple truth tied to the holidays, the heart-tugging thread that runs through most of us at this time of year. A deep abiding yearning for the memories and people of years past, holidays spent together, and the nostalgia-inducing emotion of love. No matter your background, beliefs, ethnicity, all point to a reverence for a higher meaning of understanding that the holidays bring out in us all. “Pretty papers, pretty ribbons of blue, wrap your presents to your darling from you. Pretty pencils to write, ‘I love you.’” These words are taken from a 1963 song that harkens to a day when gifts were from the heart, tied up with love, in just paper and ribbons. It was an age of simplicity and humility, much like the treasured gifts given to a baby on that wondrous night over 2,000 years ago.
For more information on Larry Lerew, visit www.larrylerew.com.
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The December of my youth meant piles of snow, gloved hands and thick gray cloud cover. These past few Decembers have held more blue skies with the promise of snow pushed back a calendar page. This doesn’t stop my child from yearning for a pile of snow the week of Dec. 20—which includes his birthday, Christmas and Hannukah all in one week. Coming from a blended family of steps, halfs and friends closer than kin, we have a lot to celebrate this time of year, even if the ground isn’t covered in a glistening white blanket. Still, we’ll keep our fingers crossed in hope.
For 25 years, Open Stage’s annual production of “A Christmas Carol” has brought the timeless tale of redemption and generosity to downtown Harrisburg. Since its debut in 1999, the production has grown into a beloved holiday tradition, drawing families, school groups and audiences of all ages.
