Larry Welo

 

Larry Welo is a plein air printmaker whose etchings are inspired by local landscapes.  He was born in 1951 and grew up on the Iron Range in Hibbing, Minnesota.  His interest in art began during his childhood.  He received his BA degree in art and biology at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.  He learned the fundamentals of printmaking in college and immediately began working as an artist after graduating in 1974. 

 

This career took him from Decorah to Minneapolis, where he and his family lived for 18 years … in what he referred to as an exciting time in an exciting city.  In 1994, Larry and his family relocated to southern Wisconsin, attracted by the smaller community and an environment that was similar to that of his youth.

 

Larry prefers to create his etching composition while holding the copper plate in his hands and drawing on the plate with the subject directly in front of him.  There is a connection that occurs between mind, hand and subject that he really enjoys. 

 

Larry and his wife, Patricia, now live in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin where he maintains a spacious printmaking studio in the historic Blue Mounds Opera House. 

 

His work is in the collections of the New York Public Library, the Des Moines Art Center, McDonald’s Corporation and the Principal Financial Group, in addition to many private collections.  He is represented by galleries in Arizona, Iowa, Minnesota, New York and Norway to name a few.