Larry Clingman Retrospective: The Collector’s Tribute

Larry Clingman has always been an artist, drawn to the challenge of translating what he sees around him into paintings that speak in their own visual language. A professional commercial artist by trade—working as a designer, illustrator, creative director, and graphic studio owner—he has also cultivated a lifelong pursuit of fine art. His work reflects a deep fascination with contrasts: shape and color, soft and hard edges, dark and light, solid and texture. Through this marriage of opposites, he conveys his unique interpretation of the world, revealing the beauty he finds in everyday moments.

Clingman’s style points toward the traditions of the old masters, with a particular emphasis on the incalculable effects of light on shape, value, and color. He is inspired by the strong use of chiaroscuro and finds continual motivation in how this dynamic interplay transforms his chosen subjects. Contemporary influences include Richard Schmid, David Leffel, Sherri McGraw, Gregg Kreutz, Jeff Legg, Leonard Wren, and Albert Handell.

Born in Springfield, Missouri in 1950, Clingman earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Missouri State University in 1972. He won the first painting competition he entered and has since been recognized with numerous local and regional awards, as well as national honors for his creative work. Today, he paints from his Pin Oak studio in Bixby, Oklahoma, where he lives with his wife Kathy. He is an active member of the Oil Painters of America, as well as the Spiva Center for the Arts in Joplin, Missouri, and artCentral in Carthage, Missouri.