answer was simple: It really didn’t. To everyone
around Cabbage Key and Boca Grande Larry
was just Larry the innkeeper, a guy who liked to
paint. He did still give lessons on occasion, and
continued to hone his skills as an artist in an
entirely different field - that of a fine artist. His
work in the second part of his life was primarily
in oils, although he dabbled frequently in watercolors
and pen and ink, with acrylics and monoprints
thrown in for good measure. He was
attracted to drawing the beautiful blue and green
water around the island, as well as boats and
nearby fish house. He also loved the human form,
particularly female nudes.
When asked what her favorite painting by her
father might be, Debbie is slow to answer.
“I don’t easily answer that,” she said. “Maybe
‘Nude in a Bathtub’ might be one of my favorites,
but again it is very hard to choose. His primary
loves were boats, beaches and bodies. I love all
of those, but he also did abstract art as well that
I liked a lot. He painted some things totally
different from his norm. Mom and dad traveled
for pleasure and painting. They went to Japan,
France, Bahrain, Europe in general, Italy, Portugal,
and it was there he enjoyed experimenting with
things he hadn’t done before, too.
In 1969, the Stults family sold the island and the
family moved to Sarasota, where Larry continued
to be involved in the world of art. He was a
member of several art associations, he exhibited
in several venues in America and in his work can
be found worldwide. He continued painting well
into his mid-90s before his death on February 6,
1996 at the age of 96. His wife Jan died in 1999,
just a few years later.
Larry has been quoted as saying, “My beliefs
are simple and uninvolved. I enjoy emotional
painting, choosing subject matter that appeals to
me, using methods and materials that suggest
themselves, rather than being bound by certain
periods or trends. My work is representational
or impressionistic rather than photographic. If I
had the choice of being a fine draftsman, colorist,
or master of composition I would choose the
latter, as it is the foundation of all work, regardless
of subject material, techniques or whether the
approach is realistic, or abstract, traditional or
contemporary.
“I have been fortunate to have studied with a
wide range of good painters … which has given