Artist Profile: Larkin Jean Van Horn

Larkin Jean Van Horn

Whidbey Island, Washington

http://www.larkinart.com

1.  Describe your signature style in 5 words:  abstract, richly colored, spiritually symbolic

2.  Do you ever work in another medium and, if so, what is it and what appeals to you about it?  Beadwork on fabric, either as details on a larger piece, or a fully encrusted work.  Perhaps, as my husband likes to say, I am part raven and attracted to bright, shiny things.  But I also love the texture that beads provide.  Beading is meditative work, and cannot be rushed.

3.  What's coming up for you in your artistic world?  Two solo exhibitions:  one at the Latimer Quilt and Textile Center in Tillamook, OR in September 2014, and the other at the LaConner Quilt and Textile Museum in LaConner, WA in January 2015.

4.  Do you have any studio rituals?  Yes - Clean up yesterday's mess before starting today's work.  The sorting, folding, and moving around of my materials allows me a pause to reflect before beginning the day's work.

5.  Who has inspired you on your artistic journey?  My three muses:  my Grandmother Grace and her sisters, Helen and Nonie.  They are all departed now, but each in her own way encouraged me when no one else did.

6.  What are the 5 essential things in your studio that you cannot live without?  Fabric, threads, beads, needles, scissors.

7.  What is on your design table right now?  My entry for the Sacred Threads exhibit.

8.  How do you juggle your artistic life, family, friends, etc?  Gently.  I take my art making seriously, but the care of family and friends is just as important.

9.  Do you have any studio companions (human or otherwise)?  Music.

10.  What was the biggest challenge in creating your piece for Reflections?  My work tends to be small and intimate, so the size requirement is a big challenge for me.