Larry Stephenson

“My art combines nostalgic imagery with a flair for the pop culture of the era. Vintage toys are used to create interest and become the hub of most work that I do. I often create old comics as a backdrop for my paintings. These works are executed on paper using a blend of watercolor, gouache, and egg tempura. Egg tempera is an old world medium that combines egg yolks and water with ground pigments. This is used for detaile and textural effects over broader watercolor washes and more illustrative brushwork with gouache, an opaque water-based medium.

Over the years, I have worked professionally as a studio painter, college art instructor, and free-lance illustrator. I worked free-lance for years while licensing my designs to the gift and stationery industries. My art has allowed me to work inside my chosen field hile making a living doing what I love most. Painting toys combines two passions for me……..that of making art and collecting vintage toys.

I have won numerous awards and credits throughout my career, but my greatest reward still comes from going into the studio each morning and squeezing a tube of fresh paint.

I was elected into signature membership of the American Watercolor Society in 1990. This is something of which I remain quite proud. I am an art graduate of the University of Central Oklahoma, 1972.”