David Larson: Dead Dads, Lt Walsh & Karl
Peter Eichenberger, David and brother Karl at Viki B’s wedding
The Dead Dad’s Club, Lt Walsh Day, the Poker Game, the Kentucky Derby Mint Julep Party, all were a big part of David’s social life and the action often involved brother Karl and his house on Sasser Street in the Oakdale neighborhood of Raleigh. And David always celebrated not just with drinking but with art.
from Alan B
The Dead Dad’s Club was invented by Karl Larson. David went through training and qualified to make videos for broadcast on Channel 10, Raleigh’s public access station. His video starring Karl and others about the club was banned from broadcast for lewdness ( the urination of Peter E off camera during the filming) but represents an excellent history of the event. Alan B posted the video here.
The annual party was attended only by people who had lost their Dad. David’s Dad died at age 50 (David told friends he thought he would die at the same age). David made a card for some of the occasions.
from Alan B DD stickers
from Bill H
from Sasser Street
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Lt Walsh was a Confederate soldier who, perhaps in a drunken angry mood, fired on the delegation of Union officers entering Raleigh to accept the city’s surrender. He was captured and hung at a spot in Oakwood near the Side Street Cafe. His grave is prominent in Oakwood Cemetery, and Karl Larson, a fervent local historian, made adorning his grave a special and sometimes large event every April 13th for over 25 years. David’s portrait was used in the elaborate brochure made for year nineteen.
from Sasser St
from Sasser St
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Karl Larson was a Raleigh legend in his own right and he as well as his hospitable house on Sasser were an important part of David’s life. Karl’s unique take on history was evidenced as far back as high school, when Steve, my classmate, would intimate stories of midnight readings of Poe in City Cemetery. A few years later, he made his claim to fame with an elaborate, well documented funeral for the original Boylan Avenue Bridge, which was torn down amid concerns for the continued existence of Boylan Heights as downtown and its throughways grew. He is seen below with Kathryn Myers at the ceremony.
lovingly appropriated from the News & Observer
Karl had a fine career as graphic designer and publication manager at NCSU, but his reverence for local history blossomed late in life with a post-retirement job as archivist for the state and especially with his magnificent accomplishment in leading the effort to restore Joe Cox’s Light Wall on the side of the NCSU Library. He also became a beloved part of a local scene blog call Goodnight, Raleigh.
“Raleigh Boy” posts on Goodnight, Raleigh
Karl’s M.A. thesis on the history of Segregation in Raleigh
Remembering the Man Who Remembered Raleigh
BY NED BARNETT
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David Larson survived Karl and his brother Steve, but not by much and now Phil Larson is left with the loss of all three brothers in a few short years. Steve’s dog Dup was a favorite subject for David, and below are some images contributed by some of the many people who have shared their art on these posts. Thanks to all, and love you some DEL!
from Lura L.
from Mary R (cut-out with collage)
from Mark H
from Jim D (linoleum print)
from the Sasser Street collection
David Larson 2000 Calendar & Bio Pics
In 1999, David was working pretty fulltime at the Habitat Re-Store, and a stack of bright white 1 ft. square chipboard panels came in. David started designing images on them with Sharpie marker, a concentric frame of his art deco style with an interesting natural figure in the middle. After I had seen several of them, I told him if he finished 12 of them, we would publish a calendar. Everybody was going nuts over Y2K, from millennial prophecy to worldwide mainframe crashes from two missing digits, and I thought we could make something of that. The result was a monochrome calendar that sold very poorly with two exceptions: to friends at Paper Plant events and to customers at Habitat, who received a very deep discount. (and David got all the money). Nevertheless, the calendar has become a wonderful way to save and send a nice sample of David’s work.
I remember this as a wonderful and well-attended event at our house on Person Street. Many Larson laughs heard at this event!
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My favorite feature of the project was the bio sketches that David did (or had already done) which we used to illustrate their noted birthdate in the calendar. David regularly did this kind of work, using a photo, and turned them into stickers which he shared with friends. A spread of calendar pics in followed by some of this work.
The final image is David Larson, born 12/3/55.
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Posada prep
Posada finalPortrait of Jose Guadalupe Posada, Mexican political illustrator who used lithography to produce his works. A favorite of David’s, using skulls and skeletons in his figures, he influenced his Day Of The Dead pieces. Transparency and detailed image for the 2000 calendar.
Born in 1852, Posada was able to set up his own lithography workshop and became a teacher of the craft in 1883 after his success from periodicals and newspapers publishing his works. A flood had him relocate to Mexico City in 1888 where he worked for La Patria Ilustrada, then joined a publishing firm where he created book covers, cartoons, and illustrations depicting various current events, using satire. From the beginning of the Mexican revolution in 1910 until his death in 1913, he worked tirelessly in the press honing his printmaking craft with features in the magazine El Jicote.
from David N
from Evan W
from Evan W
from Evan W
from Art D
from Mary R – Tolouse Lautrec
Sasser Street charcoal
from Alan Bowling, de facto executor of David’s art.
Larson: Martyred Saints, Madonnas, Saints & Demons
David Larson created a long series called Martyred Saints. He also returned often to religious figures for his expressionistic subjects. If you have one and don’t see it, post it on the David Early Larson FB page or send to JDJ!
from Viki B
from Kim B
from Alan B
from John DJ
from John DJ
from Larson Gallery
from Larson Gallery
from Larson Gallery
from Carly L
St Ruffina
from Kim A St Apollonia
from Sasser Street St Sebastian
from Sasser Street St Jerome
from Viki B St. Cecilia
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from Al M. (playing card sized)
from Phil L
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from Debbie B
from Diedre R G
from Viki B
from Mary R
from Kim B
from Randy A
from Mary R
from Kim B
from Debbie B
from Art D
from Tom M
from Shonna and Art
from Grace J “Delvis”
David Larson Pastels
Shawn B’s first piece of purchased art
Here is the heart of the collection, not only in number but the many people for whom theirs is a beloved part of their homes. David was productive and at ease with this form most of his life. We are blessed to experience them.
from Cindy O via Alan B
from Ann T
from Mark H
from David E
from Maryls de A
from Marlys de A
from Joy H W
from Joy H
from Danny G
from Richard B
from Richard B
from Richard B
from Cheryl P
from Cheryl P
from Al & Jamie M
from Ron R
from Ron R
from Ron R
from Sherry M
from Mary Anne H
from Kim B
from Kim B
from Chris C via Jenny B
from Tommy L
from Sasser St
from John And Cara DJ
from Randy A
from Randy A
from Richard B
from Al M
from Randy A
from Debbie B
from Sarah G
from Cheryl P
from Sammy K
from Sam K
from Randy Alley
Dup Above the Couch from Sam K
from Debbie B
from Debbie B
from Faye L
from Tom M
from Mary R
from Pat M
from Pat M
from Alan B via Cindy O
from Mary R
from Mary R
from Mary R
from Susan C “Sadlack’s”
from Britt Zaist
from Britt Zaist
from Peter L
from The Paper Plant
from Ginny W P
from Alan B
from Sasser Street
from Sasser Street
from The Paper Plant
from Leatha Koefler, whose gallery Raleigh Contemporary Art, represented David and also helped him travel with an art group to Morocco
Slide Pastels & Smears: A Larson Bonus Page
click above to see slide images of work from David’s estate
Larson Band Posters
David Larson was the favored artist for band posters in the Raleigh punk and experimental scene around 1980. Here is a collection – if you have one you don’t see – post it at the David Early Larson Art page on FB, or send it to JDJ!
from Wayne T
from Alan B
from Kurt F
from Kurt F
Kurt Fortmeyer
Sara Bell
Chris Q’s Screaming Soul Men
Chomp
draft
This wonderful show encapsulated Raleigh’s alternative arts
raleighrambles.com
portrait by Guillermo Velasco
Raleigh Rambles 