Ted Larsen

Bio

Born February 24, 1964, South Haven, Michigan

Education

1986 B.A. General Studies Science, Northern Arizonan University, Magna Cum Laude 1982-84 Whittier College, Whittier, California

Solo Exhibitions

2008 Pan American Art Projects, Dallas, Texas 2008 Eight Modern, Santa Fe, New Mexico 2008 OK Harris Works of Art, New York, New York 2007 Costello-Childs Art, Phoenix, Arizona 2007 LewAllen Contemporary, Santa Fe, New Mexico 2006 Madelyn Jordan Fine Art, Scarsdale, New York 2006 Pan American Art Projects, Dallas, Texas 2005 LewAllen Contemporary, Santa Fe, New Mexico 2004 Amarillo Museum of Art, Amarillo, Texas 2003 Munson Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico 2003 Madelyn Jordan Fine Art, Scarsdale, New York 2000 Joyce Petter Gallery, Douglas, Michigan 2000 Ventana Fine Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico 2000 Thomas Ingerick Gallery, Aspen, Colorado 1999 Joyce Petter Gallery, Saugatuck, Michigan 1998 Gallery A, Taos, New Mexico 1997 Leapingotis Fine Art, Vail, Colorado 1986 Northern Arizona University Museum, Flagstaff, Arizona

Selected Group Exhibitions

2008 Museum of Fine Arts, Santa Fe, New Mexico 2007 Lemmons Contemporary, New York, New York 2007 Parks Gallery, Taos, New Mexico 2007 Pan American Art Projects, Miami, Florida 2007 LA Art Fair, Los Angeles, California with LewAllen Contemporary 2007 Art Miami, Miami Beach, Florida with Pan American Art Projects 2007 Palm Beach 3, Palm Beach, Florida with Pan American Art Projects 2007 Red Dot Art Fair, New York City, New York 2006 Art Basel/Miami, Miami Beach, Florida with Pan American Art Projects 2006 LewAllen Contemporary, Santa Fe, New Mexico 1987 Philadelphia Museum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1987 Museum of Northern Arizona, Flagstaff, Arizona

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Statement

I choose to work with salvage materials. I have found that constructing my images with salvaged materials to be the most authentic expression of my internal self. There are several reasons for this. One is a statement about the environment and our culture's rapid disposal of commercial goods. The other is about reclaiming our environment and resurrecting these cast off materials into something beautiful. But mostly it is about aesthetics.

The salvage materials I use come from automobiles, architectural elements, and industrial equipment. After much thoughtful and deliberate searching for materials, I rough cut them on-site so I can transport the large sheets of steel back into my studio. There I use machines to precision cut them into usable parts. I use everything from acids to encaustics or from inks to graphite to alter the surfaces of the steel. The substructures are made from furniture grade Baltic Birch. I create many different shapes, sizes, and dimensionality depending on the idea I am exploring. The work is exacting in the process with a high degree of precision and also raw, immediate, and fresh.

I constantly travel and study the physical world. I see many potential starting points, a junk yard littered with colorful abandoned cars, desolate old barns, time worn trains, broken down antiquated houses, areas that show the wondrous impact of the human footprint in both the rural and urban environments. They form patterns that have imprinted my mind. I am inspired by these environments to create objects which speak about a sense of place. Finally, I want to remind the viewer of something they know inherently but can't quite place.