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b. 11/1/1919
d. 10/13/2003 |
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| Click any picture for a larger view; then "Back" to return
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Return to History page
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| Alton "Bud" Larsen was born in
Blair, Nebraska, on the first of November in 1919. He lived with his
wife, Betty, on the family farm in Washington County, the fourth generation
of Larsens to live there. As a young man he was led into education
for his career as an artist by his mother, who recognized his talent for
drawing. |
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Painting in Denmark |
| Larsen's work hangs in galleries, homes, and institutions
across the U.S., but primarily in New Mexico and Nebraska. He is
probably best known for his paintings of early life on the plains and for
landscapes painted in the Southwest and Nebraska. |
| This painting of the Lewis
and Clark Expedition appears in Portal to the Plains by Niel M.
Johnson. |
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Lewis and Clark |
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| In addition to paintings he produced
numerous drawings of life in Nebraska, including the sketch of the early
Blair Congregational Church shown here. As was usually his practice,
he supplemented an early picture of the church with on-site observations
and sketches to produce this authentic rendering of the community's oldest
church. |
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In his studio with the sketch of the Congregational Church |
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| During Bud's later years, much of his artistic production
was the restoration of other artists'
work. This painting, restored for the Good Samaritan Hospital in
Kearney, Nebraska, is one example. |
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Sample restoration |
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| Throughout his life as an
artist, Alton Larsen shared his expertise through teaching, judging
exhibits, and the example of his own work. In addition to classes
in his own studio, he conducted workshops for many groups in McCook,
Grand Island, Halsey, and many other locations in Nebraska. In 1979
he quit his second vocation, farming the family land, to devote himself
exclusively to art. He continued to paint until shortly before his
death on October 13, 2003.
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| Colors as vibrant as ever, his last painting stands in
his easel at home in his studio - October, 2003. |
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