2023 OLD HOMES TOUR FEATURED ARTIST
Larry Dean
Join the Mattie King Davis Art Gallery on June 10 from 4 – 6 p.m. to welcome artist Larry Dean. Dean will be the featured artist for June and July, as well as the Beaufort Historical Association’s featured artist for the 62nd Annual Old Homes Tour. Dean learned the ropes of being an Old Homes Tour Featured Artist in 2014 when his paintings were featured last.
Dean has been a musician in North Tower, a Raleigh band that plays “Top 40, beach, funk, and oldies”, for the band’s entire 40+ year run. But his love of art began with his mother, a dedicated artist who painted before losing her eyesight when Dean was young. Although he stuck with music throughout his teenage years and into his adult life, painting was one of his first introductions to the world of artistic creation.
He later married a graphic designer who noticed his artistic leanings and encouraged him to pursue painting in addition to his music. Twenty years later, he’s still expertly balancing both talents. He has always loved painting scenes of the beautiful places that touring with North Tower has taken him. Although he has travelled across the East Coast with the band, he always finds himself returning to images of North Carolina and the people who call it home.
Walking around Raleigh, one can spot countless Larry Dean originals in restaurants, galleries, and private homes. Dean himself often enjoys seeing his works pop up in different places he visits, often asking those who like his work why they enjoy it and what drew them towards his paintings. This curiosity about his work and the people who view it is what keeps the process of creating fresh for him.
Dean is now an art teacher, and enjoys seeing his students progress in their own artistic capabilities. However, he’s also committed to his own growth as an artist, attending as many gallery shows as he can and continuing to keep in touch with his old teachers and peers. “My goal is always to keep doing what I’m doing and looking for ways to develop”, Dean reflects. We look forward to witnessing his process every step of the way.
For information about artist Larry Dean, visit his website here. To hear more about this free event, please call 252-728-5225, visit beauforthistoricsite.org, or stop in at the Beaufort Historic Site Welcome Center. The Mattie King Davis Art Gallery is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. and is located on the grounds of the Beaufort Historic Site at 130 Turner Street.
