Inside the Life of a Fort Collins artist
Larry Tucci is a local Fort Collins artist. I came across his wonderful artwork as I was exploring artists who participate in the “Pianos About Town” project. In this project, artists paint on old pianos which are then placed all around Fort Collins for the community to enjoy. Tucci’s pieces stood out to me because of their focus on nature. He told me the one thing he hates most is talking about himself and his work. He likes to let his art speak for him, so I was thrilled when I got the opportunity to get a peek inside the mind of Larry Tucci through an email interview. Please enjoy.
Rachel: Where did you grow up?
Tucci: I grew up in Detroit, Michigan. We lived in the city until I was 7 or 8 years old, then we moved to the rural suburbs.
Rachel: Can you describe your childhood?
Tucci: Most memorable to me about my childhood was my attraction to nature. In the early years, when I was living in the city, I loved overgrown alleys which were places where nature was trying to take over from all the concrete and filth. Always loved trips to the country to be outdoors. It was the start of me discovering that nature was like a home away from home.
Rachel: When did art become a part of your world?
Tucci: I enjoyed drawing from an early age into my mid-teens. At the age of 22, I applied to art school in Detroit. I was accepted on the strength of my drawing.
Rachel: What have you been up to since you finished college?
Tucci: In 1990, I finished college and became a self-employed commercial artist in Detroit. Then in 2009, I left Detroit and moved to Fort Collins where I work exclusively as a fine artist. I’ve also been teaching art in the Fort Collins Recreation Department since 2010.
Rachel: What does an average day in the life of you look like?
Tucci: As a self-employed artist my days are largely self-directed. Most days are spent in my studio from the morning often into the late evening. I spend that time painting, researching visual references or planning upcoming projects. I love my work and often get lost in it.
Rachel: When you do pull yourself away from working in the studio, what do you like to do?
Tucci: I enjoy hiking and fishing, although time doesn’t allow for the latter as much as it once did. Before a wife and family, I could disappear for a 10 to 12 hour day outside, often fishing, and still be ready for more. I also love to learn about things, random things. I’ve always enjoyed building random things too.
Rachel: How do you come up with the ideas for your pieces?
Tucci: My process has changed a lot over time. Today I allow myself to dream about what “could be” in a given project and then work backwards for how to make it happen. Sometimes now I even think about how I want to feel standing in front of my finished work, then try to create something that will make me feel the way I want to feel. I recognize the importance of having a vision and trying to see the results I want before they ever exist.
Rachel: What is your physical process for creating a piece?
Tucci: I begin with sketches in a sketchbook. Once I begin to see clearly what I want, I move on to a miniature painting of the thing I am going to create. The miniature paintings have turned into an invaluable tool for clarifying a vision. Once a miniature is complete, many of the problems have been solved and I can get down to painting the large, finished version with a clarity that makes it almost easy.
Rachel: How did you get involved with the “Pianos About Town” project? And what was it like for you?
Tucci: I got involved with the “Pianos About Town” project as a way of challenging myself to break out of my illustrator-based training and begin to paint large and fast instead of the small, highly-detailed way I had learned to paint in college. The time allotted to paint a piano is far less than I usually spent on much smaller illustration projects. I knew how to paint detailed, accurate, literal things, but had hit a wall after doing it for many years, and used the public art programs in Fort Collins as a vehicle for growth.
Rachel: So I’ve seen images of both of the pianos that you’ve done the past two years. What was your inspiration for them?
Tucci: My piano murals both feature raptors. Raptors are important to me as one of the first things I was fascinated by as a child in nature. A few years back I chose raptors as a focus of my personal work after considering a variety of possibilities. I used to paint whatever I was asked to paint, but now I try to allow my work to be an expression of love.
Rachel: If you could go back and do these murals again, would you change anything?
Tucci: The first was more playful, the second was a bit more literal. I don’t think about what I would change as much as what have those projects have opened up for me that would not have been possible before them.
Rachel: What is your favorite piece that you’ve created and why?
Tucci: This is a difficult question for me. I’m not sure why except that to choose a favorite is like saying that the best thing I’ve done is behind me. The way it feels in reality is that the best thing I’ll do is the next thing I’m dreaming.
