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Laurence Johnston’s formal art education began right after high school at the State University of New York at Buffalo, attending on a Regents scholarship, continued at SUNY Farmingdale, graduating with an Associates degree in Advertising Art and Design. He then attended Southampton College on an art scholarship, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1978.
Larry worked for Grumman Aerospace Corporation (now Northrop Grumman) for 28 years, including 9 years as an illustrator for the Corporate Training department. After the plant he worked in on Long Island was closed and the work transferred out of state, he was faced with the choice of relocating or changing vocations. Larry’s long term goal was to paint full time so, when the invitation came to relocate, he went with his heart and chose art instead.
In 1994 Larry and a group of friends opened an art gallery in Bellport, New York. Living on Long Island and having owned 3 small sailboats, the coastal landscape was a natural choice of subject matter and his work immediately began to attract a following. A timely and favorable review in the New York Times caught the attention of the owner of Chrysalis Gallery in Southampton, New York, where he has been represented since 1995. He has also been represented by The Hearle Gallery in Chatham on Cape Cod since 2005.
Continually seeking to refine his skills, Larry has attended workshops with locally and nationally recognized artists including Charles Sovek, David Curtis and several with Don Demers. Larry is an Artist Member of the American Society of Marine Artists (ASMA) and the Salmagundi Club of New York.
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“As a native Long Islander, I am constantly aware of the waters that surround my island home. The ocean, sound, bays and harbors often become the subject of my paintings. I am also fascinated by the special quality of light that living near the
ocean brings; it can elevate the ordinary to the sublime.”
“ . . . among the highlights are realist canvases by Larry Johnston. Mr. Johnston’s “Cedar Point Lighthouse” is an imposing painting of the Sag Harbor landmark set against a lowering sky . . .”
HELEN H. HARRISON,
THE NEW YORK TIMES
DECEMBER 24, 1995
“ . . . humans have tenaciously colonized the water’s edge in Larry Johnston’s “A Summer’s Day by the Bay”. The peaceful scene, with a gentle swell lapping against the dock and just enough breeze to fill a catboat’s sail, celebrate the pleasures of seaside life . . .”
HELEN H. HARRISON,
THE NEW YORK TIMES
JULY 7, 1996
“ I found Johnston’s “Swans in the Mist” singularly evocative, gently capturing the early morning.”
GERARD J. GARCIULO,
THE INDEPENDENT
JULY 31, 1996
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