Tucked away in his studio in the hills of historic Silver City, Larry Kotik works day and night on as many as 25 paintings at a time. This will not surprise anyone who knows Larry as one of the many artists and musicians in his talented family.
About the Artist: Educated at the University of Colorado, Denver, Larry began a career in music production; however, he left music for painting where he felt free to be in control of his destiny. A turning point for his art career in Nevada was a commission to paint a historical community mural for Dayton Elementary School (DES) in 1993. With the assistance of his wife, Diane Kotik, a teacher at DES, and Dayton students, he worked day and night for six months to design the project, and 90 days to complete the 12 foot by 84 foot mural, still present today in the school’s gym. He received a Sierra Foundation Grant for the project the following year.
In his Silver City exhibition, Larry’s urban landscapes tell a story of the human condition such as a novel might, incorporating images of family, friends, and community members. His work touches our hearts with its rendering of pathos and joy. While most of his urban paintings include several figures, Contemplation shows a solitary man standing by his bike, looking at the San Francisco Bay Bridge in the moonlight. The painting hauntingly reminds us that there is grace in aloneness.
While Larry believes as Van Gogh did that “painting is for the painter”, beauty is not forsaken in his Great Basin scenes where one has cause to contemplate the larger picture of life. He invites us to remember our own excursions into the back country with its distant views, or into summer meadows where we listen for the buzz of bees. It is no surprise that his style is reminiscent of Van Gogh’s, as swirls and dips of paint are meticulously applied to his canvas. Nevada has plenty of landscape artists, but only one Larry Kotik.
Larry moved to Nevada in 1990, and then to Silver City in 1998, where he is dedicated to daily painting and 5 mile hikes with his black lab, Noodle. Considering his stringent work ethic, these walks are good exercise to keep him healthy and painting, while he prepares for his first Nevada solo exhibition.
What is the Silver City Arts? Since 2014, the Silver City Arts group has hosted music, visual arts, and poetry events and programs. The group draws on the community's own rich resource of artists, artisans and musicians, and also connects with regional and statewide groups to bring programming by national and international artists and musicians. The group of volunteers’ mission is "to encourage the arts, build community, and share our unique town through free, public events."
Where is Silver City? Silver City is located on the Comstock within a federally designated historic landmark about 3 miles from Virginia City, 7 miles from Dayton, and 12 miles from Carson City. The School House is located next to the town park and is accessible. For more information about the show, contact Carol Godwin of Silver City Arts at godwinsilvercity@aol.com.
Promenade by Larry Kotik
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