Larimer County Department of Natural Resources has selected Fort Collins-based painter and illustrator Larry Tucci as its 2017 Visual Artist.
Tucci will spend the next year exploring Larimer County’s parks and open spaces and creating a piece inspired by these scenic, protected places. His piece will be unveiled at a reception in early 2018 and donated to Larimer County for public display in a county building.
Tucci will spend the next year exploring Larimer County’s parks and open spaces and creating a piece inspired by these scenic, protected places. His piece will be unveiled at a reception in early 2018 and donated to Larimer County for public display in a county building.
Natural Resources, Tucci hopes to promote public appreciation for nature through his art by “making connections for people between amazing wild creatures and the beautiful habitat they need to survive,” said Tucci, who frequently visits Horsetooth Mountain Open Space and Horsetooth Reservoir with his family. “I am endlessly inspired by the natural beauty of local parks and open spaces: color, texture, shape and form. Beyond enjoying open spaces firsthand, I also love what they represent – that someone cared enough to recognize places as special, and worth saving. It says a lot.”
A Michigan native, Tucci graduated from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, majoring in illustration. He worked as a commercial artist for nearly 20 years in Detroit before moving to Fort Collins, Colorado, with his family in 2009. Today, Tucci works as a professional fine artist in Fort Collins and teaches painting and drawing classes with the City of Fort Collins Recreation Department. Inspired by nature, Tucci’s subjects include birds, animals, fish, and landscapes, as well as historical western subjects. Tucci paints primarily in acrylic, but also in oil, and has recently rediscovered his love of drawing.
Tucci has exhibited in galleries across the United States, including a recent, large, solo retrospective at the historic Carnegie Building in Fort Collins. He has been the Artist in Residence at Isle Royale National Park in Michigan and the Michigan Wildflower Artist of the Year. In addition, Tucci has had his paintings featured on numerous state and regional conservation stamps and has been a part of prestigious international exhibitions, including “Art of the Animal Kingdom” at the Bennington Center for the Arts in Bennington, Vt., and “Arts in the Parks Top 100” through the National Park Service in Jackson Hole, Wyo.
To learn more about Tucci and view his artwork, visit www.tucciart.com.
Tucci is the 11th artist to participate in Larimer County Department of Natural Resources’ Visual Artist Program. Artwork created by past visual artists can be viewed at county buildings in downtown Fort Collins and online at www.larimer.org/openlands/artist.htm.
For questions about the Visual Artist Program, contact Teddy Parker-Renga, Community Relations Specialist, at tparker-renga@larimer.org or (970) 619-4561.
Pictured with permission: “Golden Haron Moment” © Larry Tucci, and artist Larry Tucci, from the artists website www.tucciart.com