The Boynton Carehome in Northwest by Larry Pearsall

Larry Pearsall has been part of the ECF Art Centers since 2001 and has been one of the most prolific and visible artists in the history of the Art Centers. Pearsall is widely known for his comic book style aesthetic and the way in which each painting functions as a fragment of an infinite narrative full of recurring characters and themes. The universe that Pearsall has built throughout his hundreds of acrylic paintings, drawings, prints, and ceramics is of a place called “Apple Bay” and the people and animals within it. Apple Bay is timeless as are the multitude of intersecting storylines that collide in to reveal the types of abuses that happen behind closed doors and the demons that reside in the most innocuous places. Pearsall’s evolving narrative is imbued with morality as evil characters in the story are depicted as such and victimized characters are visibly marked. In addition to the recurrent cast of human characters in Pearsall’s ongoing story are the presence of shadowy animals such as possums, rodents, rats, and cats which expose the conscience of each narrative and represent Pearsall’s desire for a life of freedom and the possibility for his victimized characters to be healed.