Larry Bemm  

My latest body of work is a playful departure from themes carried over the last several years.  I am still interested in presenting the work with the same level of non-objective quality, however, I have become increasingly interested in providing a dialogue with myself on the subject of regional exploration.  I was raised in the Midwest and have spent most of my mature artistic years outside of the region.  Having been back a relatively short time, I find myself consumed with questions pertaining to who I am, and where I am at this moment. Language is the way in which I best relate to abstraction.  I rely on the quirkiness of words to open one’s mind to unique interpretation within imagery.  Titles to me are opportunities to carry abstraction to another level.  I intentionally hope to create humor, confusion and interest all at once.             
SOLO EXHIBITIONS 

2004                 Recent Paintings, Toomey-Tourell Gallery, San Francisco, CA

                        New Works, Bryan Ohno Gallery, Seattle, WA

                        Midwest, KIMBERLY VENARDOS & COMPANY, New York, NY

2003                 Small Work, Franklin Art Works, Minneapolis, MN

                        Recent Paintings, Frumkin-Duval Gallery, Santa Monica, CA

2002                  New Work, KIMBERLY VENARDOS & COMPANY, New York, NY

                         Sneaking Up on Words, Bryan Ohno Gallery, Seattle, WA

2001                   New Work, Ballard Fetherston Gallery, Seattle, WA

2000                   New Work, Ballard Fetherston Gallery, Seattle, WA

1998                    Recent Works, Augen Gallery, Portland, OR

1998                    New Work, Kittredge Gallery, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA

1998                    Recent Etchings & Paintings, Linda Cannon Gallery, Seattle, WA 

1997                     Recent Work, Linda Cannon Gallery, Seattle, WA

1996                      New Paintings, Linda Cannon Gallery, Seattle, WA 

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 

2004                 Identity and Vision, PLAINS ART MUSEUM, FARGO, ND

2003                 Building Tradition, TACOMA ART MUSEUM, Tacoma, WA

Taking Shape, Taking Form, Thomas Barry Fine Arts, Minneapolis, MN

77^th Annual Invitational, The Print Center, Philadelphia, PA – Juror, Mark Pascal, Associate Curator

Prints & Drawings, The Art Institute of Chicago; traveling to Long Beach Island Foundation of Arts &

Sciences, Loveladies, NJ

Gallery Artists, Bryan Ohno Gallery, Seattle, WA  

LARRY  BEMM 

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS – continued

2002                  Abstractions, Kimberly Venardos & Company, New York, NY

2001                        Pacific Northwest Annual, BELLEVUE ART MUSEUM, Bellevue, WA. Juror - Sue Spaid,

                        Curator, Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, OH

                        Gallery Artists, Ballard Fetherston Gallery, Seattle, WA

                        Bumbershoot, Northwest Arts & Music Fair, curator – Matthew Kangas, Seattle, WA

2000                        Survey of Northwest Printmakers, Davidson Galleries, Seattle, WA

                        Bumbershoot: Northwest Arts & Music Fair, curator – Debbi Lester, Seattle, WA

1999                        Pacific Northwest Annual, BELLEVUE ART MUSEUM, Bellevue, WA. Juror – Kathryrn Kanjo,

                        Contemporary Art Curator, Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR

                        Be Still My Heart, Linda Zweig Fine Art, San Francisco, CA

1998                         ArtSmart Artists, Linda Zweig Fine Art, San Francisco, CA

                         HorseHead Sculpture Project, Seattle, WA

1997                 The Inspired/The Inspiration, Elizabeth Leach Gallery, Portland, OR

                        Pacific Northwest Annual, BELLEVUE ART MUSEUM, Bellevue, WA.

                        Nagoya/Seattle International Contemporary Printmakers Exchange,

                        AICHI PERFECTUAL MUSEUM and TOYOTA CITY GALLERY, Tokyo, Japan

1996                         Artworks, Linda Cannon Gallery, Seattle, WA 

1995                         Introductions, Jeffrey Moose Gallery, Seattle, WA 

1993                         11^th Annual Print Exhibition, North Shore Art League, Chicago, IL

1995                        Street of Dreams, Seattle, WA

1992                         Recent Drawings & Prints by Larry Bemm, University Galleries, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 

1991                         American Midwest Artists, Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts, Lu Xun, China

1991                         American Midwest Artists, Northeast Normal University, Tsing Tao, China 

CORPORATE & PUBLIC COLLECTIONS 

PLAINS ART MUSEUM

TACOMA ART MUSEUM

Alumni Office Collections, Chicago, Illinois State University

Harborview Medical Center, King County, Seattle

Seattle International Airport

Nordstrom Corporation

SafeCo. Insurance

Seattle Supersonics, Inc. Training Facility

University Galleries, Normal, Illinois State University

Western Cedar Corporation 

SELECTED ARTICLES 

Gomez, Edward.  ART & ANTIQUES MAGAZINE. September 2004

Kangas, Matthew. Exhibits Show Discipline Underlying Abstract Art. THE SEATTLE TIMES. September 10, 2004

NEW AMERICAN PAINTINGS. Number 46, 2003, Juror – Anne Ellegood, The Norton Family Foundation 

LARRY  BEMM 

SELECTED ARTICLES - continued 

Combs, Marianne. Word of Mouth, Minnesota Public Radio, September 19, 2003

Hackett, Regina. A new breed of abstract artists…, SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER. February, 14, 2003

Johnson, Kenneth. Larry Bemm, THE NEW YORK TIMES, January 24, 2003

Farr, Sheila. Forget Angst, Joy Motivates Bemm, THE SEATTLE TIMES, May 31,2002

Hackett, Regina. Decorative Art is Exalted in Painting and Sculpture, SEATTLE POST INTELLIGENCER, December 7, 2001

Kangas, Matthew. Larry Bemm at Ballard Fetherston, ART IN AMERICA, November 2001

Hackett, Regina, Northwest Pluck at BAM, SEATTLE POST INTELLIGENCER, October 23, 2001

Kangas, Matthew, Works in BAM’s Annual Resist Traditional Categories, SEATTLE TIMES, October 19, 2001

Hackett, Regina. The Art Trade, SEATTLE POST INTELLIGENCER, August 14, 2001

Farr, Sheila, Experiencing the Pleasure of a Painter’s Palette, SEATTLE TIMES, July 6, 2001

Kangas, Matthew. Off to Great Starts, THE SEATTLE TIMES, January 13, 2000

NEW AMERICAN PAINTINGS, Number 25, 2000, Juror - Lowry Sims, Curator; Dept. 20^th Century Art,

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Hackett, Regina. Printmakers Reveal the Sly Grace of Their Medium, SEATTLE POST INTELLIGENCER, May 27, 1999

Wilson, Pamela J. Big on Small, TRADITIOANL HOME MAGAZINE, May 1999  

TEACHING APPOINTMENTS

1996                       University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA

1993- 1994                Sichuan Academy of Fine Art, Chongqing, China 

EDUCATION

1993     BFA.  ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY, Normal, Illinois