About John Larkin

I was born the fourth of six boys in Zaragoza, Spain in 1960, and lived in Europe and Asia as a child, graduating from Kubasaki High School in Okinawa, Japan. Go Dragons! I got a degree in sculpture from the University of Idaho in 1984 and worked as a freelance industrial designer specializing in bicycle helmet design until retiring recently. Since then I have been keeping busy building a studio, traveling, making knives, sculptures, and paintings. I live in Moscow with my wife, Melissa Rockwood.

I am “red-green” color blind. As a result, all tortoiseshell-colored cats look green to me. Now, I have been informed that cats are not green, but they are most certainly 100% green to me! Cat Green. Knowing this makes me wonder what kind of odd colors I'm using in my paintings which in turn opens up the question of art and perception.

Looking at art, we have the rare opportunity to see through another person’s eyes. In that way it can act as a bridge between people. When we experience the world as seen by another human it helps us understand each other.

There are so many beautiful things to see in the world; a band of sunlight on a wooden floor, a stand of rustling aspen trees, cloud shadows moving over a hill. I take photos, but they rarely capture the sense of wonder I feel.

So for me, making art is an attempt to express the essence of that beauty. “Style” follows without thinking, because I see the world in my own unique way, green cats and all.