Nationally known portraiture painter teaches Valley artists

WASILLA — Last week the Art of Oil Studio, near Wasilla, hosted Mary Carole Larson, a nationally known portraiture painter. Although Larson can paint anything, this specific six-day class focused entirely on personal portrait work. This is the sixth year Larson has taught the extensive class in Alaska. It is sold out months in advance and students come armed with passion and boot camp commitment to learn all they can from the revered instructor.Mary Carole Larson has painted for fifty years and travels nationally— teaching classes across the country. Her art training included five years studying with American Master artist Everett Raymond Kinstler, who is famous for doing the official Presidential portraits in the White House.Larson’s teaching style is all about demonstration and explanation. All students receive close, individual attention during two daily rotations, as Larson goes from one easel to another. At one student’s spot she explains the physics of brush strokes. At another spot she explains how to “turn an edge.” At another spot she discusses value, tone and color theory. This goes on all day, everyday, for six days. Detail, luminosity, sculpture, composition, shape development are all part of the discussion, demonstration and application.Larson personally produces fifteen to twenty portraits a year and helps students with hundreds of portraits yearly in her classes. She laughs when she says, “I am not nearly as attached to the portraits as my students. That allows some objectivity.” She adds, “ I am attached to the process of teaching. And I love the painting process far more than the product.”The class composition of the students is interesting. In last week’s class was a retired FAA engineer, Dale Turner from Wasilla, who has developed an interest in art based on his experiences hunting and fishing and his strong connection to the outdoors. Turner says, “Art allows me to see better because I have developed a painter’s eye. This lets me appreciate details in subjects and life. “ Turner brings his sheltie dog Jack with him on painting events. “Jack enjoys the painting community and especially all the women artists who fawn over him.” The dog sits quietly during the long painting events but is alert for activity which may involve a little treat.Another student is art instructor Sherry Burnem who runs the Crooked Canvas Studio in Palmer. She says, “I enjoy the camaraderie of this group and the challenges.” Sherry has painted with this group for many years and started studying under former instructor Nancy Howes. In fact, Howes is the reason that Mary Carole Larson is a regular in Alaska now.Burnem explains that years ago— in the old Palmer DMV building on the Glenn highway— community members learned to paint oil landscapes from a certified Bob Ross Instructor named Nancy Howes, who had studied personally with nationally well-known artist Bob Ross. (At the time, Ross was serving in the military in Fairbanks Alaska.) Many Valley locals participated in these classes with Howes and some continue in the group, to this day. Howes— in turn—first invited Mary Carol to Alaska to teach. Now the class is housed at artist Diane Paoletti’s Art Of Oil private art studio, located halfway between Palmer and Wasilla.Other students include a vocational rehabilitation counselor, a telemarketer, a retired nurse, three teachers, former epidemiologist, a sculptor, a chaplin and various others with unconnected histories. All of the students are older and have made a choice to involve art heavily into their lives. And that may be the only common denominator among them. They all come from different walks of life and share precious little—except for the passion of art. And appetite. This is clear at the thematic shared lunches orchestrated daily. The artists don’t officially stop at lunch time but dozens of food offerings arrive and mingle on large table on the side of the room. People can nosh all day or stop and have a large mid day meal. Instructor Mary Carole loves this sharing. “The creative energy in my classes brings the whole group to a higher level.”Despite the fact that Mary Carole teaches all over the country, she loves coming to Alaska. “The natural sciences and nature abound along with wonderful people and stories to match,” she says.“I recognize that all my students are here for different reasons. Some are here for the social aspect. Or learning environment. Some are here for an ego boost. But they are all deliberate in their intent. They recognize the beauty of art and they want to develop their skills. This process is what teaching art is all about,” says the instructor.