The year was 1973, Dave Larcade was 22 years old. He recently had earned a cinema degree from the University of Southern California and captured two first place awards at the Fountain Valley Film Festival in Colorado Springs.
All signs pointed toward a promising film career for the Corpus Christi native. But Larcade never made it to the silver screen.
“I realized I was an artist,” says Larcade, a Casa Linda resident for five years.
“But I didn’t have the money to do art as a filmmaker, so I switched to oil painting.”
During the next 15 years, Larcade turned up in New Orleans, selling on-site sketches in Bourbon Street clubs. The young artist also roamed Colorado, studied tai chi, shrimped in the Gulf of Mexico and worked as a carpenter.
All the while, Larcade used his experiences as inspiration for his artwork.
“I usually paint from my imagination,” Larcade says. “But every now and then, I just stop and paint what I see.”
In recent years, Larcade’s work has been featured at the DFW Registry Show, the Video Bar, Kathleen’s Art Café, Milam Gallery and Club Dada.
Larcade is currently represented by Aardvark Studios in Garland.
NEWS & NOTES
Library Activities: The Skillman Southwestern Branch of the Dallas Public Library, 5707 Skillman at Southwestern, in conjunction with the Lower Greenville Antique Mall, will host three seminars on antiques. On Aug. 9, several antique dealers will present “Grandma Had It, Now I Do-What Is It?” Speakers will discuss the market value of furnishings, tableware, bedding and other household accessories in a broad overview of five style periods from 1890-1950. On Aug. 16, “A Fortune of Junk” consists of a whirlwind tour of common collectibles with high value, including pottery, ceramics, toys and memorabilia. During “Digging in Grandma’s Closet” Aug. 23, find out what’s hot and what’s not in costume jewelry, compacts, clothing and accessories from 1900-1960. Judi Scheele and Annastasia Bryant will discuss jewelry designers and values, vintage costumes, hats, handbags and other valuables from the dressing table. Regular library hours are Monday and Wednesday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Tuesday and Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thursday and Sunday, closed. For information, call 214-670-6078.
Dallas Museum of Art: The Dallas Museum of Art, 1717 N. Harwood, will feature several exhibits during August. “Painting the Universe: Frantisek Kupka, Pioneer in Abstraction” runs through Aug. 24 in the J.E.R. Chilton Galleries. Admission for adults is $5, students and senior citizens is $3, and children under 12 is $1. The exhibit is free for all DMA members and is free to everyone after 5 p.m. Thursdays. “Art at Square One: Russian Avant-Garde Works on Paper” runs through Aug. 24 in the Focus Gallery and is free. The exhibit features the works of such artists as Wassily Kandinsky, El Lisitzky and Kazimir Malevich. “Stitches in Time: American Quilts from the Permanent Collection” will be displayed Aug. 17-Jan. 12 in the Textile Gallery; the exhibit is free. “Fables for These Times” is scheduled Aug. 24-Nov. 16 in the Fina Foundation Gallery; the event is free. Five Live Women, artists with different cultural backgrounds, interpret popular fables with universal themes in a variety of media. For information, call 214-922-1200.
