Full name:  

Joseph Larkin

Date of birth:

December 16th

What is your current location:

Tacoma, WA USA

Tell us a little about the art styles that you use:

I am inspired mostly by Surrealism, Baroque art and Victorian photography these days.

What are your tools of trade:

Most recently I’ve been working in Acrylic paints on masonite. I crochet my own borders for them and sometimes include small sculptural techniques.



Why did you choose these art styles:

Mostly because they’re aesthetically pleasing to me. Also for their ability to convey otherworldly ideas and attitudes.

What is your favorite one and why:  

Surrealism, certainly. There are no limits in the surreal, it’s a visionary expanse.  

What other art styles would you like to experiment with:  

I’d like to do a bit more sculpture, I think, I enjoy working between 2 and 3 dimensions for textual effect and it breaks up the picture plane nicely.

How can you define in your own word, surrealism:

Unlimited imagination, a boundless expression of the subconscious.

Mature Content

Who is your favorite artist and how do you connect with his/her works:

Far too many to mention here, I enjoy work in general from people who have taken the time and work to hone their skills and develop their ideas. It takes years to do that. Although perfection is unattainable I have a deep respect to those who strive for it.

What influenced you to become an artist:

My father is an artist, and both my parents encouraged me to develop my interest in art from an early age. I just never stopped. I can’t imagine a different life.

How long have you been an artist:

Pretty much my whole life. As soon as I was coordinated enough to hold a pencil I was drawing, and I got into painting later on. I still really enjoy both.

How did your family and friends react of you being an artist:

Like I said before, they’ve always been really supportive. I’m very grateful to them.



What can you tell us about your first collaboration:

I think that was one I did with Deborah Valentine. I really enjoyed the process, so we did a few more. I also did some with Bernard Dumaine, Amy Kollar Anderson, Janelle McKain and Inge Vandormael to name a few. I’m working on a second one with Ton Haring lately.

Can you tell us how collaborations influenced your art:

Mostly in terms of flow and composition.  It taught me to consider mood and fluidity over subject matter for the purposed of making everything seamless.

Do you promote/ sell/ showcase your artworks. If you do, how:

I put a lot of paintings in Galleries, mostly in Los Angeles, but also in other parts of the US and Europe.

What can you tell us about your current exhibitions:

I currently have work in group shows and permanent collections at The Hive Gallery (LA), Congregation Gallery (Hollywood), Hyaena Gallery (Burbank), at Subconscious Geysers 7 (Moscow). I will be showing work in Meltdown Gallery (Hollywood), BHerd Gallery (Seattle) and Gallery Provocateur (Chicago) in the next couple months.



Where can people see your artworks:  

I have a page titled “the Peculiar Art of Larkin” on Facebook, and my deviantART page is “larkin-art”.

How the internet did influence your art:

It broadened my horizons, for one. I became exposed to so much more than I could have imagined in the pre-internet days, it’s like every artist in the world is online in some form or another. There’s so much to see, so much to appreciate.

How can people contact you:

I can be easily reached through the notes in deviantART, or through my email at larkin.surreal@gmail.com.