LIVING INDUCTEE

LARRY H. PIRNIE

DISTRICT 11 - YEAR 2025

Larry H. Pirnie was born June 15, 1940, spending most of his first nineteen years in Iowa, the last twelve in Bettendorf, a small town along the Mississippi River.  His mother’s father was an artist, and his father had a great deal of respect for him.  That relationship was critical to his father’s support of his interest in being an artist.

Larry started drawing when he had to wear glasses when he was about 6 years old.  He chose to stay in his room and create comic book cowboys instead of confronting the bullies and pranksters who were making fun of his “four eyes”.  He stayed withdrawn for most of his grade school years but grew four or five inches upon entering junior high school and coaches encouraged him to play sports.

Encouraged by his art teacher, Larry continued picture-making activities throughout his high school years.  After graduation, Larry attended MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Illinois.  His roommate recognized his disinterest in school and passion for art.  He suggested inviting him to go home with him on spring break and meet Norman Rockwell.

In April 1959, Larry met with Mr. Rockwell at his studio in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.  Based on his recommendation, he applied to Pratt  Institute in New York City. Graduating with a BFA degree in 1963, he entered the corporate world accepting a position with Josten’s, Inc starting as a salesman advancing to designer, Product Manager to Director of Marketing.  BUT he wasn’t living his dream!

The untimely death of his four year old daughter served as a wakeup call and sent him wandering West to Montana.  He reached the following conclusion: “If you’re going to live your dream, there’s no guarantee you’re going to be around tomorrow to do it,” he said. “So, you’d better get to it.”

Moving to Big Fork, Montana, he met the love of his life, Irene Larson, who became his Sales Agent.  They were married in 1980.  Larry continued creating traditional cowboy art that his wife Irene was brokering to different galleries throughout the country. Becoming restless by trying to be a western artist, Larry studied works he admired and that resonated with him.  They all had a common thread:  bold and colorful – just what his work was not!  That’s when the kid in him took over.  He learned a lot about color and his relationship with it.  Once he turned his art over to the “Crayola Kid”, unexplainable color began to flow from his brushes. 35 years later, with over three thousand paintings sold in more than one hundred thirty galleries, Larry and Irene’s dream surpassed what they could have imagined.

Larry’s passion has always been to make pictures and share them.  Irene died in 2019 and Larry is now only represented by the L.A. Design Gallery in Missoula, Montana.  He has promised collectors, friends and family he will continue to make pictures until he has reached the end of his trail.