Let’s Get Whimsical! by Larry Cole

June 5 – 26
Let’s Get Whimsical! in the Atrium
Opening reception: Friday, June 5, 5:00-9:00 PM
Gallery hours: Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
The Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902

Let’s Get Whimsical! is a collection of works from the artist’s walk on the playful side. These paintings are comical, sometimes outrageous, and intended to induce a chuckle and a smile. Created when more serious studio work got bogged down, or inspiration wouldn’t come, they are products of the artist’s attempt to break through creative slumps. They are pure amusement and represent faces of characters the artist has encountered over a lifetime of “people watching”. So, take a break from reality – look, laugh, and come on … let’s get whimsical!

Larry Cole, a native Tennessean and retired banker, is an abstract expressionist painter who studied art at the University of Tennessee and is the former owner of Gallery House Art in the Bearden Arts District near downtown Knoxville. Vivid colors and conspicuous brush strokes are typical of his works. He is perhaps best known for his vibrantly colorful oils depicting abstract and intentionally ambiguous subjects ranging from landscapes to human forms. He currently works from his studio in West Knoxville. His paintings have been featured in galleries and solo exhibitions in Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, and throughout the MidAtlantic region.