Gulf Coast Art Festivals Along the Gulf of Mexico: Reflections on an Artist Larry Felder

Sometimes an artist’s development doesn’t occur linearly. Sometimes, there is an absence of art for a period, like it went on vacation. So is the case of painter Larry Felder. Larry started painting boats and water at age 12, when he spent most of his summers at his grandfather’s house in Port Aransas, Texas. But after graduating from the University of Texas at Austin in 1974 with a degree in fine art, Larry left his painting behind and spent the next 27 years in the advertising and publishing fields. When he and his wife, Linda, became empty nesters, they moved to Rockport to be near the renowned artist community and, more importantly, to be near the old harbors and boats Larry knew from his childhood. Because Larry had decided he was going to start painting again. And paint he has. He has gained a wide reputation for his eye to detail and for the shimmering reflections he creates in his coastal scenes. Larry also has opened The Felder Gallery, located in Rockport’s Downtown Heritage District, which displays works from Larry and several other artists.

The coastal scenes Mr. Felder commits to canvas would be familiar if you have visited the quaint harbors along the Gulf coast, and seen the smaller, more unique crafts that ply their trade in the small bays and estuaries rather than the deeper Gulf. “I look for the most unusual boats. I shy away from the typical Gulf shrimp boats in favor of the smaller bay shrimping and oystering boats. Each one is different, hand-built to the specifications of the individual fisherman. There are no two alike and I like to mix them in my harbor views. The same can be said about the riggings of each boat. Each fisherman does things a little different. It’s similar to comparing a tackle box. They all have much of the same stuff in them, but no two are arranged exactly the same,” explained Felder.

Unfortunately, his choice of inspiration is getting harder to find. “Much of what I like about the old harbor scenes are quickly disappearing with new development,” he said. “The old shrimp boats and cruisers that I remember as a child are almost all gone. I have a lot of reference photos that I have taken through the years to work from, but seeing a scene in person is best.”

Why is painting a scene is person better than painting from a photograph? Larry describes why, “I think in terms of painting what the eye sees, not necessarily what the photo shows. A person’s eye is so much better than what any camera can depict. There is a lot more information in the shadows and highlights than a photo can show you. I use the photo as a reference to the details, especially the riggings and details I enjoy painting on the boats. I rarely paint the water of my reference photo.”

The water and its reflections are signature elements to many of Felder’s paintings. The reflections are intricate and detailed in the way they bend and warp with the waves, distorting boats and wharfs. The reflections are Larry’s favorite painting step, “My favorite part of the painting process is about the last hour of painting. During the planning stage I can easily visualize how I want it to turn out, so I can’t wait to get to the point where the ‘magic’ begins, in other words, when I paint the reflections on the water and make that look real.”

When asked if every painting had a happy ending, in other words, what happens at the end if you don’t like it, he responded, “I generally don’t stop until I like it. I have been known to completely paint out water and paint it again using a different strategy. Unfortunately, just because I like it doesn’t mean other people will. I have a few paintings at home that have not sold but I like them anyway and will keep them.”

Larry finds one of the best ways to find out what other people think of his work is to observe them in his gallery as they walk around looking at the art.

“The most successful paintings are the ones that demand that the viewer stop and look. I can see it in their eyes. I also enjoy the look on people’s faces when I help hang a piece in their home. Making someone happy makes me happy and I measure the success of my own work in that way,” he said.

One very happy occasion occurred about a year ago. It is a touching story, as Larry tells it, “I received a call from an older gentleman from San Antonio who had been told that if he wanted a boat painted I was his man. He told me that he was very hard to work with and I might not want the hassle. A challenge! I listened as he described his last experience with commissioning an artwork. He thought artists had egos inflated to the heavens and wasn’t sure he could work with one again.

“About a year earlier he had taken a photo of an historic event when the USS Texas Nuclear Attack Submarine was being commissioned in Galveston harbor. The photo showed the tall ship Elissa sailing alongside the sub as it made its way into the bay. He was a retired Navy officer and collected marine art. He just had to have a painting of this contrast between the old and new Navy vessels.

“It wasn’t the subject matter that I normally painted but something inside of me wanted to restore his faith in my fellow artists. To make a long story short, I completed the painting to his satisfaction after several months of sketches and details emailed between us. He was very happy and we had become friends during that time even though we only communicated through emails.

“He retained the original but had three Giclee made. One of those prints now hangs in the Officer’s Mess on the actual Submarine. Another was presented to the WWII Museum in Fredericksburg. And, the other was given to the Galveston Historic Society, which owns and maintains the Elissa.

“It wasn’t the money that I enjoyed in that commission. It was the new friends I made and the joy he received when he shared my piece with his comrades.”

Larry continues to enjoy making others happy. He continues painting his beloved boats and harbors, but takes time for other things, occasionally. He is currently the President of the Rockport Heritage District Association, which works to keep the downtown Rockport area developing in a positive way to preserve its small, beach village charm. He also has started taking vacations, most recently to Costa Rica. Do these outside activities portend another vacation from painting? Not hardly. He’s already started painting Costa Rican scenes. We can’t wait to see.