Brian Blair | The Republic
The medium forms a part of the artist’s devoted message.
“I use acrylic,” Larry Skinner said, “because it’s very forgiving.”
A bit later, with a knowing smile, he acknowledged that the central subject of most of his artwork is very much the same. Such is the most rudimentary way that the 78-year-old Skinner thinks of Jesus.
A perfunctory look around he and wife Peggy’s home on Azalea Drive in Columbus and one knows that the East Columbus United Methodist Church member thinks of Jesus plenty. There’s a somber Jesus looking over the city of Jerusalem. Jesus with the crown of thorns. Jesus fallen with the cross. Jesus at the table with his disciples.
In Scripture, the Nazarene told his followers that he was with them always. Skinner’s walls seem to be living proof.
“With my art, I always have to give all the glory to God,” said Skinner, seated in his knotty-pine family room with the silenced TV tuned to a car show, one of his other favorite passions. “Everybody has a talent.”
Skinner found his talent as a youngster in Bicknell, growing up poor but with a rich creativity. He attended one semester at Herron School of Art and Design in Indianapolis before taking graphic design posts with advertising firms in Columbus and Indianapolis.
He then spent 34 years with then-Cummins Engine Co. in a variety of shop positions. He was disappointed years ago that he was passed over for a graphics opening after superiors lavishly praised his portfolio but told him he needed a related degree.
When he paints, he takes his work seriously. When he finishes, he gives it away — except for the time that he sold some of his pieces to The Ark Book & Gift store in Columbus several years ago. He’s never quite known how to put a value on his effort, though a collection of his smaller paintings once generated some $800 as part of a church fundraiser.
He once did a logo in a matter of minutes for a pizza firm — and accepted only $20 for a piece that went national.
Over the years, he created logos for Indianapolis’ Lafayette Square Mall, Ryder Trucks, Indiana State University and others. He chuckled about maybe the only time his art took him on a slightly wayward path — in high school, when he secretly drew maps for classmates for their school assignments.
He battled liposarcoma in 1997, and reframed his artistic focus.
“That changed my perspective,” he said, adding that he began focusing on Jesus artistically and otherwise. “I did that in order to keep my mind clear.”
Sports has done that, too, for him through the decades. He has coached everything in south central Indiana from t-ball to high school softball, baseball and basketball. In his basement rest more than 100 trophies from that investment in youth — an investment that dictated that everyone on the roster played fairly equally instead of having benchwarmers.
“I never played politics,” he said.
Given a chance during a conversation, he will spot pictures on the wall of son Travis and now-late daughter Amy Skinner Sackman and gush over their athletic achievements and more.
Wife Peggy joked that there is no more room for her husband’s art. Indeed, much of the wall space in one entire section of the family room is covered with carefully framed sketches and paintings.
“He is definitely very good,” she said. “And I can’t even draw a stick figure.”
Sometimes, part of her wonders what would have happened if he pushed his giftedness more commercially, including one possible chance he once had to work for Disney at age 18 when a teacher was ready to encourage an ex-student Disney manager to consider hiring him after art school. But he has no real regrets.
He said he feels blessed and wants his creativity to bless others. A few years ago, that unfolded in a special way when he made Christmas cards for those on their seasonal list.
“I want to keep doing this,” he said, “as long as my hands are able. After all, the reason I have this ability is due to Jesus Christ.”
