Since the age of 9 when he built his first skateboard from a piece of scrap plywood laying under the workbench in his Dad’s auto repair shop, Indianapolis artist Larry North has been captivated by the power, the practicality, and the artistic potential of wood.
“I make stuff. I’ve always made stuff. It’s what I do.”
North’s work falls outside the confines of artistic movements or periods. Instead each piece is crafted from material that fits its purpose and place. The work stretches from dining tables and porch swings to doors, windows, small wares, furniture and sculpture.
“Chairs are puzzles of engineering, ergonomics, and aesthetics. And, really, nobody comes home at the end of a long day and says ‘man, what a comfortable table.’”
After the skateboards of his youth, North built houses in the Pacific Northwest for XX years. The time spent there is reflected in many of the themes of North’s work as well as the intricate craftsmanship he honed. And after an artist’s typical flirtations with other mediums, North is committed to wood as his form of expression.
“I’ve worked with steel and stone and clay, and always come back to wood. Intrinsically I understand it, I know what to expect, and how far I can push before I’m approaching potential calamity. It’s the only medium is there where you can start with a seed and end up with a rolltop desk.”
Builder? Craftsman? Artist?
Hard to tell with North’s work. It is meticulous and intricate on the one hand, yet simple and functional on the other. Each piece seems strikingly familiar and utterly unique at the same time. That artistic needle can be tough to thread, but North’s keen eye for visualizing the end result coupled with the patience and the skill to get there are what set him apart.
North draws his inspiration from nature and the human form. His goal: to strip away the unnecessary layers without being obvious and reductive.
“There’s a challenge in it, in all of it, to strip away the superfluous and finish at the intersection of form and function. Creating customized and ultra-comfortable furniture for your home is a process I enjoy immensely, from start to finish.”
“Art, even functional art, can convey meaning very simply. The cleaner the work, the more concise and focused the emotion is, Maybe every time you sit in the chair, or use the spoon, or open the door. Just enough information, and then room for your mind to hear what’s not being said.”
Away from the wood shop, North’s attention focuses on illustration. Like his woodwork, North’s pencil work evokes a distinctive style of joy, peace, and humor. His juxtaposition of the ordinary with the fantastic creates a bold point of view.
“There is a Zen moment in making stuff when the body knows what to do and the mind steps aside as a silent observer, This is when I find myself at my center. It is an elusive moment: this moving meditation of creating. But it is the where and when for my process and it’s critical to my process.”
For North, the moving meditation has a clear point:
“The solutions are simple – after you’ve arrived at them. But they are simple only when you know what they are.”
When he is not busy in his workshop or studio Larry enjoys spending time with his inspirational wife, Molly, best friend and dog, Reuben, drinking copious amounts of coffee and listening to music. He’s also a fairly adequate skier, skateboarder and surfer!
How do you want to feel in your home?
Larry loves to talk shop.