A refugee of the Kansas Bible Belt, Dennis Larkins has lived life on the front lines of radical times, emerging from Grateful Dead artist to a chronicler of skewed and alternative realities. Using evocative retro images as universal archetypes brought into the context of the current era, he creates illusionistic, visceral narratives that seem to draw from other dimensions.
Pioneering and refining a bold new approach to artistic expression, Dennis works in a style forged from both traditional and space age ingredients as he paints sculpted relief on canvas, creating layered works of arresting depth and intense optical punch.
For four decades Dennis has also turned his art towards commercial success, persevering along a formative and expansive path as a set designer in the theatrical trades. Starting as a scenic artist at the San Francisco Opera, he moved on to become the resident designer for Bill Graham’s infamous “Day on the Green†and “Monsters of Rock†events where he is credited as one of the earliest developers to use revolutionary new staging concepts now considered the norm. It was there that he employed the use of enormous set decorations like oversized album covers, pyrotechnics and special effects lighting. Concurrently, he designed album cover art, posters and other paraphernalia for bands including The Grateful Dead. Some of this work is included in the essential 1987 Abbeyville Press reference book “Art of Rock.†More recently other projects include designing for Warner Brothers Studio Stores, Sega Gameworks, and exhibits and attractions for Disney and Universal theme parks.
Ever since passing through the sieve of art school, Dennis has painted against the grain--not as an attention-grabbing statement versus the art world, but simply because his personal vision, informed by such diverse sources as retro sci-fi and pulp symbolism, the mundane parody of everyday life and the humor and mystery of death and destruction, was immune to passing trends or commercial fads.
For more details, visit his expansive website StartlingArt.com
