Paradise Valley Town Hall Featured Artist: Larry Brecker
By Terrance Thornton | Digital Free Press
Town of Paradise Valley residents, collectors and fine art aficionados came to Paradise Valley Town Hall Tuesday, Oct. 24, to celebrate the photography of Dr. Larry Brecker — who earlier this month was named the featured artist by the PV Arts Board.
Dr. Brecker and his wife Carol have just released their first book, ‘Desert Inspired,’ which was on display at Town Hall, 6401 E. Lincoln Drive, at the exhibition opening earlier this week.
A Town of Paradise Valley resident, Mr. Brecker provided 40 pieces of fine art photography featuring Arizona flora and work influenced by ikebana, the art of Japanese floral arranging.
The yearlong exhibition is now open to the public.
An ‘Meet the Artist’ reception, which is free to the public, is scheduled from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 7, Feb. 7 and April 18.
Mr. Brecker will answer questions about his work and sign his newly released art book, ‘Desert Inspired,’ during the upcoming artist receptions to be held.
Paradise Valley Town Hall Featured Artist: Larry Brecker
Mr. Brecker, a New York native, is a life-long photographer. His interest grew while traveling extensively in Europe during his medical school training in Geneva, Switzerland. With his medical degree in-hand, Mr. Brecker chose Tucson for his internship and fell in love with Arizona.
“Four years of dermatology specialty training in Oklahoma introduced me to pathology. The importance of subtle differences in detail, color, and texture was crucial for diagnosis of skin diseases,” Mr. Brecker said. “One of the first things I learned was to look at the big picture, then to dial into the microenvironment. Capturing light and shadows to show color, texture, depth, and detail on the slide became an obsession.”
He chose Phoenix to open his practice, where he further honed his skills while photographing skin lesions for educational lectures. He shared his own nature and landscape photography in his office and created a gallery with moveable walls in the waiting room. While he also showcased other artists’ work, none of the work was for sale.
Mr. Brecker’s body of work on display at Town Hall shows his evolution and transition through various photographic techniques over the last 20 years.
“I chose work for this exhibition primarily from my wife Carol’s and my Arizona garden,” he explained. “I love exposing intimate close-ups of desert flora and immortalizing Carol’s ephemeral Ikebana arrangements in my work.”
