In early January, North Hollywood Senior Arts Colony hosted its first Art Room Social led by resident volunteer Larry Blecha. This was a very enjoyable, relaxing, and inspiring event with a great turnout. All the residents were excited to learn different techniques of oil painting in a stimulating environment. Larry Blecha is a wonderful and encouraging teacher, and we are extremely grateful that he is volunteering his time to inspire and share his knowledge with other residents. The audience was completely captivated by his words and love for art, and the general consensus was that this was to turn into a weekly gathering!
See the event photos below, and read the short interview to find out more about Larry Blecha and how he developed a love for painting.
What is your background and how did you discover your love for painting?
I grew up on a farm in Southwest Nebraska, and my first 9 grades I attended a small one-room country school without running water. While there ,we often did drawing and I enjoyed it, however did not pursue art further frankly until I broke my leg at work in 2008. While recuperating from the badly damaged leg, I needed something to do so I started painting with acrylic paints, I wasn’t very good but enjoyed learning and creating. I recovered from the leg injury after a few months and didn’t paint again until I had a hip replacement in 2012 or 13 when I discovered oil painting and found it much more suited to my interests and goals. I recovered from the hip surgery and again put aside my interest in painting until I retired to NOHO Senior Arts. Since then I was free to pursue my interest in painting with oils and it has become a passion.
How many hours do you spend in the art room and what keeps you motivated to work on a painting?
During most weeks, I am in the art room painting 6 days and 6 hours or more per day. My interest in painting in general is the complexity, depth, and challenge. Every painting provides a new challenge, a new color, task, skill, tool, personal discipline, and so on.
How did you teach yourself art and what advice would you give to others?
I’m not really sure that I taught myself in that I read a great deal both online and hard copy books. I’ve been fortunate to have been able to view great art from incredibly talented people who went boldly before us, at a number of museums including the National Archives in Washington, DC, and a number of others as I have traveled, and I try to attend as many art shows as I can find. All of these have provided me with interest and motivation, basic technical information, and knowledge. Then one must actually pick up the brush, mix some paints, and learn how the paints behave.
My advice to others would be to pursue your interests with reckless abandon. Allow yourself to fail repeatedly without giving up, and look for progress rather than perfection.
What is your favorite painting (of yours and of other artists)?
I have so many favorites it would be difficult to choose only one. There really are wonderful and talented people doing art in modern times as well as the past. I tend to be drawn to the works of Renoir, Bouguereau, and other masters, as well as more modern artists like Jeff Hein, Steve Hardy, and others. As far as my own paintings, I like “The Lady in the Lake” and “The Farmland” because of my personal efforts as well as their meaning to me.
~ Sara Debevic, Program Director
