Cumberland River – An American Legacy: That’s the title Larry Richardson gave his most recent art project about his fascination with waterways and wetlands. For an artist, naturalist, and writer, that’s not a bad place to be.
“I grew up in with a yearning for the outdoors. My friends and I roamed the fields and streams near my home from daylight ‘til dark,” Richardson said. “We imagined ourselves the first ones to discover our natural world since the time that Shawnees and Cherokees walked the land. The feeling has never disappeared. Ponds, creeks, marshes and rivers have been like a magnet for my imagination, now expressed in an original art series, The Cumberland River – An American Legacy.”
Currently, an 18-paintings show featuring the Cumberland River hangs at the Customs House Museum in Clarksville through July 31. Many of the scenes are from Montgomery and surrounding counties.
“The Customs House exhibit is a piece of history. I hope some of the local scenes remain here in homes and businesses for posterity sake,” Richardson reflects.
The collection will move to the Harlan Center in Harlan, Kentucky August-September, where the river starts its 700 mile journey to the Ohio River. From there, the paintings will be in a two-month show in Somerset, Kentucky’s Carnegie Museum October-November and then finishing up the year at Hopkinsville, Kentucky’s Depot Gallery, December through January 2017. Additional paintings are being added to the collection as the exhibit moves to new locations.
“I like realism, not photographic, but more toward an impressionistic style, leaving a loose edge or the gesture of a shadow, inviting the viewer to make the final stroke,” Richardson said of his work.
His biography describes him as an artist, naturalist and writer with three books to his credit and currently working on a fourth. You can follow his activity and see more artwork at www.cumberlandriverartist.com.
Article sponsored by Larry’s Corner Store, bringing local art to the forefront.
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