Dean Larson, potatoes and the Machetanz Art Festival

By Talis Colberg

For the Frontiersman

PALMER — The public is invited to a free lecture by nationally recognized artist Dean Michael Larson — a true son of the Matanuska Valley — at 7 p.m., June 4 in the Glenn Massay Theater at Mat-Su College.

If you ever have a chance to wander through the halls of the state capitol in Juneau, you will see them adorned with an impressive array of art and artifacts. One portrait that stands out is of former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens. The painting was done by Palmer’s own, Dean Larson.

His work is as diverse in scope as his clients — the prime minister of Italy and former U.S. Sen. Mark Hatfield of Oregon, to name a couple. He paints tremendous landscapes and detailed interior scenes of famous urban locations. He has established himself as a great American artist in his own lifetime.

The Matanuska Valley can and should lay claim to this accomplished and distinguished graduate of Palmer High School. He was raised in Palmer. He is the son of former State Representative Ron Larson and Emily Larson. He studied art under another famous local artist, Fred Machetanz. He left Palmer for Willamette University and continued to develop his talent across the country and then the world.

Even before he had finished high school, Larson earned money selling his artwork. Larson had the good fortune to be able to make a living doing what he loved to do: paint. While one of his high school classmates toiled in the potato fields of Ben Vanderweele, earning a minimum wage, Larson would paint. It was a tale of two cities writ in Valley life: two students from the Palmer High School class of ‘76 living in two very different realities. One a farm laborer, carrying heavy sacks of potatoes in a cold warehouse while the other sipped ice tea with lemons as he painted the glorious Valley mountains in his studio on Bailey Hill.

One day, the poor farm laborer, seeing the long-term potential and promise of the emerging art phenomenon, decided to make an investment. He approached his classmate and asked if he would paint a dogsled scene. Larson accepted the deal and he proceeded to create yet another masterpiece.

But Larson, while a great artist, was also a shrewd businessman, and gave no break on the price. So the farm worker spent many an hour accumulating the pennies necessary to buy the painting. Larson got his money, and the painting became the farm laborers prized possession, a link to greatness. That painting is now an “Early Larson” Masterpiece and could probably be sold for enough to buy an entire potato field.

While the farm worker advanced to picking carrots, Larson was invited to all the best parties. Professor Larson also went on to receive numerous prestigious awards for his work, including the Anna Lee Stacey National Award for oil painting twice. He was also awarded the 2008 Pollack-Krasner Foundation Grant.

Now, he teaches at the Academy of Art University and maintains a studio near the old Spanish Mission Dolores in San Francisco.

But he’s coming back to the North this summer. He will be the featured artist at the fifth annual Machetanz Art Festival at Mat-Su College June 2-5. In addition to the classes he will teach, Larson will also give a free lecture in the new Glenn Massay Theater at 7 p.m., June 4. Everyone is welcome to come see and hear a distinguished artist who will briefly return to his hometown.

Talis Colberg was a classmate of Dean Larson who used to pick potatoes while Larson painted. He is also the Director of Mat-Su College.