Lifestyle Chuck Larivey: Art As Reinvention, Not Just Retirement Fun 10/1/2024 | By Terri L. Jones Chuck Larivey has never considered art a hobby – not when he was a boy painting Catholic holy cards, nor when he was creating portraits of his shipmates’ loved ones in the Navy, nor when he was painting during his career as an interior designer. So, it was no surprise that painting again in his late 60s wasn’t just something he decided to do in retirement – rather, it was a “reinvention.” Lifelong love of art Larivey’s love of art started with paint-by-numbers sets as a young child. In an art class in the first grade, he remembers painting a sun in a bright blue sky with tempera paints. As he got older, he refined his skills using Walter Foster’s art instruction books for $1 a piece and made money as a teen selling portraits to relatives and neighbors. “I was pretty sure I would be an artist,” says Larivey. “[Being] a designer never occurred to me.” But, he explains, “art, like design, requires your absolute attention to succeed at it. I wasn’t willing to do what was required at that time to be a top artist.” So, while he was still active as an artist until his mid to late 30s, Larivey, who has “always moved within the framework of art and design,” built a long and successful career in residential and commercial interior design in Southern California. Chuck Larivey and career pivots Then that “reinvention” happened. In 2008, he and his wife, Brenda, took her mother and her three poodles cross-country to see her old home in Richmond, Virginia. They only intended to stay for a short time, but then his mother-in-law passed away. While they were in Richmond settling the estate, Larivey found some old paints in the attic and started painting again. Larivey was accustomed to making career pivots about every 15 years; after making his first painting in 20 years, he made the decision to become a fulltime painter at age 67. He developed a business plan and gave himself two years to learn to paint again and another 15-year interval to realize his business goals, while he and Brenda put down roots in Richmond. But things took off much more quickly than that. “I always wondered if talent – or whatever you want to call it – fades with time,” notes Larivey. He was happy to find out that “it only gets better.” Color, movement, and light Today, the artist is a signature member of the Oil Painters of America and is known for his stunning, large-scale oil paintings of koi and lilies, Venice, and atmospheric seascapes and landscapes. His paintings have been exhibited all over the U.S. and in London. “My real interest is color, movement, luminous light effects, reflections, and atmospheric transparency,” Larivey explained in an interview on the website of Crossroads Art Center, a Richmond gallery where many of his paintings are exhibited. His work can also be seen at Stravitz Sculpture & Fine Art in Virginia Beach, Virginia. While some of his paintings are classical in style, the approach for much of his work is abstract realism. His fluid, abstract brushstrokes become remarkably lifelike when his large-scale paintings (on average 78 inches by 96 inches) are viewed from a distance. (The artist says he has “two very large blank canvases in storage waiting for my attention … one of those reasons to paint.”) “I believe a painting should draw you in at a distance and be touchable up close and personal,” Larivey said in the Crossroads interview. “And yes, I have no issue with an admirer touching my work!” Passing it on Since 2016, the painter has also been painting and collaborating with likeminded artists in a group called Swimming-in-Paint at Crossroads Art Center. This summer, Larivey and the Swimming-in-Paint group launched a weekend boot camp to mentor other artists in the community and help them expand their skills. “We invited artists to join us, paint with us in a very immersive learning experience with a group of experienced painters,” explains Larivey. He feels this connection and communication is what has attracted newer artists to the Swimming-in-Paint boot camp. “He’s a great teacher,” says Bart Levy, one of Larivey’s boot camp students, whose artwork is also exhibited at Crossroads. “I think Chuck is going to help me get to the next level – or beyond.” More inspirational active seniors, by Terri L. Jones What’s next? After hitting the 15-year mark with his business plan, it was time for Larivey’s next career pivot. Because one of his goals has always been to share his work with others, the artist launched an ecommerce site, DreamBigArtworks.com, in 2023. The website offers high-quality art prints on canvas. This site makes his artwork, along with work from his fellow Swimming-in-Paint artists, available to a much wider audience. When asked what he enjoys most about painting, Larivey responds, “I always liked to paint, as long as I had a reason to. … One could say all of it,” including the design work, which he still does occasionally, “gives you a reason to get up in the morning.” If only we all had such a powerful motivator! Read More Terri L. Jones Terri L. Jones has been writing educational and informative topics for the senior industry for over 10 years, and is a frequent and longtime contributor to Seniors Guide.