Rick Larimore - Sculpture
I enjoy the way time expands when I am involved in the creative process. My wood sculptures are made mostly of local hardwoods gathered from our central Illinois woodlands. I look for interesting grains and color, but sometimes I paint or stain the wood. Clay pieces are cast in bronze, epoxy, or other materials. While I use both power and hand tools, I much prefer the meditative quiet of handwork. My goal is to always enhance the intrinsic characteristics of the wood and clay. Bringing out the beauty of the wood is my pleasure.
Biography Rick studied art with Juanita Gammon and Larry Bell at Parkland College in Champaign, Illinois. During high school and while at Parkland, he worked with sculptor Frank Gallo finishing epoxy resin sculptures. He studied with woodcarver David Hosteltler as well as with conceptual artist, Ernie Whitworth at Ohio University briefly. He continued creating epoxy pieces along with making a living landscaping, doing tree work, and vegetable farming. After many years, he returned to school to earn a degree in botany at Eastern Illinois University, later working as a wetland ecologist at the Illinois Natural History Survey for fifteen years before retiring. When not making sculpture, Rick and his wife Cloydia split their time between their home in Urbana, Illinois and their rural residence/studio north of Fairmount, Illinois where Rick enjoys hiking, fishing, hunting, and managing his natural areas along the Salt Fork River. Much of the wood he sculpts comes from their woodlands. |