Dean Larson Artist Talk

Dean Larson is a San Francisco-based artist, originally from Palmer, Alaska, and was the Best of Show winner of the 2024 Salon at the Triton: A 2D Art Competition and Exhibition with his selected artwork, Urban Light (2023).

This exhibition, Urban Visions: Life in Motion, encompasses two central themes that have been integral to Larson’s artistic inspiration - life in the city and figures. Larson’s first motif, life in the city, stems from the city of San Francisco as he witnessed it. Larson’s second motif, figures, stems from the lives that fill these urban landscapes. Read Larson’s Artist Statement on our website for his full explanation on these motifs and their importance to his artistic work.

This event gives you the opportunity to meet the artist and learn more about him and his work, while viewing the artist's current exhibition at the Triton Museum of Art.

This event is free and open to the public (including free parking).

Artist Dean Larson was raised in Palmer, Alaska where he first learned painting under the mentorship of Alaskan Artist Fred Machetanz. After graduating from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon Dean moved to Baltimore, Maryland for graduate studies at the Schuler's School of Fine Art and Towson University. In 1997 the artist moved to San Francisco, CA. He has long been associated with the resurgence of the American Contemporary Realist movement.

Dean has written books, been featured in numerous art periodicals, has mounted over twenty-five solo exhibitions, and has been featured in over fifty group shows in museums and galleries across the U. S. He is a well-traveled artist who thrives on diversity and is constantly searching for new subjects. He is adept with cityscapes, landscapes, portraits, and interiors. Through the use of compelling compositions and harmonious colors he draws the viewer into his canvases. Dean's commissioned portraits and studio paintings can be found in museums and other public collections in the United States and Europe. Larson also has taught painting (mainly cityscape and landscape) at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco since 2006. He maintains a studio near Mission Dolores, the original Spanish Mission in San Francisco. Larson has painted the portraits of Senator Ted Stevens which hangs in the United States Capitol in Washington D.C. and Senator Mark Hatfield which hangs at Willamette University. Larson's work is also included in the collections of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), the Alaska State Capitol, Triton Museum of Art and Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Triton Museum of Art, 1505 Warburton Avenue, Santa Clara, United States