Larry Spear's Portfolio
 

A former art instructor at Broward Community College and Florida Atlantic University, Spear’s paintings have been shown in over 70 major competitive shows, including the prestigious Contemporary American Painting Show and the M. Allen Hortt Memorial Competition. In addition, the artist has given demonstrations and has juried art show at many Florida art shows and organizations.

 

The Abstract Expressionist paintings of Larry W. Spear reflect the artist’s deep interest in Eastern philosophy and mysticism. Spear believes that great art is intuitive and spiritual in nature. It is channeled through the artist from an all-pervading creative force or field. The artist’s job is to let the art flow unimpeded through his or her consciousness and to reconstruct the image on the canvas.

Spear advises his viewers to not look for specific objects in his work. The desire to seek recognizable items in abstract paintings stems from the eyes’ everyday duty to distinguish objects. However, our ears are accustomed to enjoying and understanding music, even if the sounds do not evoke specific images. Think more in terms of art as a composition, consisting of the visual elements, much as a musical composition uses the audio elements.

Characteristics of Spear’s painting style include his use of vibrant color and expressive brushwork . He creates dynamic compositions, filled with beautiful color combinations and interacting shapes. The artist likes to view his canvases as an infinite field, with parts of the field viewable in each work. Although conceived as non-objective imagery by Spear, his paintings often evoke private images in the minds of the viewers.