Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Larry Silver. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Larry thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

My first time approaching oil painting I didn’t know much about how to paint like the oil masters or any of the great artists I admired. I just knew I had a strong interest in a bold depth layered look in a painting. Back when I was first starting out I didn’t have the funding to go to art school or a workshop. I didn’t even have WiFi at the time so I would go to the library to watch videos of oil painters. There was no one to tell me what was challenging or difficult in the mediums I was working with, so I was very experimental with the bits of information I received along the way. I believe in my journey, this disadvantage was eventually my advantage. I was able to approach the craft of oil painting more confidently due to the fact that I didn’t know a skill radar level. I just knew the energy I felt when painting that lead me to learn more about the craft. That’s when I realized I wasn’t just learning about the craft itself, but I was also learning about myself. Confidence is key when it comes to learning.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a visual artist that captures the aesthetics of black figures embracing their image. I use my art as a tool to bring people together to think critically about the world around them by creating compositions with surrealistic narratives and portraits using oil paint and charcoal drawings. The goal of my work is to use my visual voice amongst others as a blueprint to connect on a higher vibration for people to see themselves and feel empowered. With 15 years under my belt, honing my craft as an artist from Alabama, I’ve been honored to have my work reach media platforms and exhibitions from Alabama, Wisconsin, Mississippi, Louisiana to Atlanta. I also had an art piece featured in Apasso Ghana. Art was always innately in me as a child. It was there before I knew that it was called art. I started off being inspired by cartoons and comic characters and branched into drawing and painting real life figures to connect with people on a deeper level. The language of art inspires me to use my visual voice to communicate with others beyond words. The importance of “being” tells a story in many ways from facial expressions, figure position and abstract elements of nature. The youthful curiosity of creating is what I held onto as my foundation. Today, I continue to create and be a part of the artist community, spreading the importance of art and sharing my gifts through interactions with clients, being engaged in art panels, media opportunities and exhibitions.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

One of the things I’ve learned is that it’s best to go through the process and find your own path of success than to have someone to sell you a fairytale on how they can make things better for you. It’s great to receive help and business relationships along the way with proper research and a genuine relationship, but it’s important to not underestimate yourself in knowing what you are capable of when it comes to building your body of work. I’ve had a gallery agent representation that did not go as planned due to her breaching a contract. I found myself stuck wondering what my next move would be, having to represent myself, being that I didn’t have the network or connections to collectors that the gallery did. I started back networking on my own and gave more information on who I am as an artist and not just the art itself, which allowed me to have an understanding of who and why people were drawn to my work. I learned to strive for more genuine public engagements and not just silent secret corner wall spaces. Because art is loud and not meant to be kept a secret.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to unlearn was that there is more than one path to achieving a goal because everyone’s journey is different. So often I’ve heard that if I wasn’t successful by a certain time then it will be impossible because the time has passed. I had to unlearn what others’ perspective of success is and discover what it means to me. I gravitate more to a lifestyle than just peak moments in life. I love to constantly evolve.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://silverbrush.net
• Instagram: SilverArts_91
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/larry.silver.75?mibextid=LQQJ4d