Craig Sams, founder of Whole Earth and close friend of Larry's tells us about their lives in the sixties as well as details on our limited edition silk screen prints of the classic Lennon, Dylan and Hendrix.
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The Larry Smart RETRO-spective was an astounding success. We saw fans come from far and wide to take a look at Larry’s work they remembered from their youth. We also saw a new wave of Larry Smart fans who had either seen the Hendrix on BBC’s hit TV show Miranda or love the retro 60s vibes of Lennon and Dylan.A big thank you goes to The Muse Gallery. The building was the old head offices for Whole Earth when at the time Larry was painting the imagery for the packaging. So, it was the ideal space to show his work.Since the exhibition we have discovered more original Larry Smart paintings and are looking forward to the next chapter. Here are some photos from the two week exhibition:
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In April I went to Marrakech, primarily for a much needed break and a bit of sunshine, but also to see if we could find any of the paintings that Larry Smart did during the 15 years that he regularly visited the city. Many people commissioned him to paint their restored riads as he could so perfectly capture the sacred geometry that underpinned the design of the tiling and plasterwork. His understanding of the mechanics and principles of this geometry meant that he could paint an image that was faithful to the original design concept, preserving the symmetry and perspectives of the creators.
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Listen to Craig Sams talking about the 'Larry Smart RETRO-spective' exhibition in June on BBC Radio 6 Music. Skip to 43 mins for more insight into the work of Larry Smart plus background on the Bob Dylan poster we have recently discovered.First broadcast on 25th May 2017.
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I first met Larry in 1967, when he was in the dance troupe Exploding Galaxy. They would perform free-style dance at the weekly hippie gathering, the UFO Club, in between sets by the Pink Floyd. They helped encourage everyone to ‘freak out’ their dancing style. In 1967 Larry married Carol Grimes, the blues and jazz singer who later performed with Lol Coxhill and the band Delivery, and they had a son, Sam. Delivery's debut performance was at our macrobiotic restaurant Seed in 1969. One of Larry's mandalas adorned their album cover.The Exploding Galaxy were part of a commune which lived in North London and took their name from a painting by Larry of the same name.
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