Larry Schmehl Craftsman

The simple idea of reusing discarded items to create my art. The materials I use are simple, beverage cans whose colors and graphics become my painters’ palette. The canvas is reclaimed 3/4″ plywood to which I attach the cut pieces of aluminum using tiny nails. Each canned creation is placed in a wooden frame that I build myself.

I am inspired by traditional American folk art. My canned creations are a whimsical interpretation of creatures and their environments. These art works represent a love and appreciation of the natural world, that I have had since I was a boy playing in the woods of rural Pennsylvania.

I graduated from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia with a BFA in animation. A few years later I took a job with a small fine furniture company and began my career as a woodworker. I now live in Bedford, Virginia with my wife, three daughters and a couple of chickens. When I am not hammering pieces of aluminum to plywood, I am employed as a sample maker for a local chair manufacturer.