Front and back cover: Kay Larch, Eclipse
Spring cover artist highlight: Kay Larch
The summer of 1969 has been immortalized by numerous social and historical events which include Neil Armstrong's moon walk, John and Yoko's 'bed-in', the Manson family murders, the Vietnam War protests, the Stonewall riots and the Woodstock musical festival featuring Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix among the three day lineup. It was also the summer when our featured artist Kay Larch and her best friend drove a little blue Volkswagon Bug down the coast of California to their favorite shopping destination, Tijuana, Mexico. Kay remembers that "Give Peace a Chance" was blaring on the radio as they crossed over the border and suddenly, they were immersed in an explosion of color, a visual feast.
Kay Larch grew up in Huntington Beach, California which is not far from the Mexican border. Mexican folk art was a very common sight in her hometown and permeated her youth. Kay writes: “I was always amazed by the concentrated abundance of vibrant colors and exotic styles. It took my breath away and inspired the budding artist in me.”
Kay now lives in Greenville, South Carolina, but coming of age in the late 1960s in that particular place was where she developed her artistic style which is a combination she describes as part Mexican Folk Art, part California "Hippie" girl, and part imagination. She notes: “Although I've since been influenced by many other exotic places, and have explored many other mediums, styles and subject matter, it's my 1969 free spirit version of Mexican Folk Art that is always calling me back home.”
Kay Larch, Eclipse, detail