Jim Larsen
February 2, 1944 – July 23, 2010
Jim Larsen taught me how to look. Since so many of my paintings here were inspired by photos he took, and photos I took with his guidance, I want to share some of his work.
Jim’s love of the camera started when he got a little Kodak for Christmas when he was eight years old. He was rarely without a camera within reach from that day until the day he passed away. His collection of cameras grew to include Canon’s, Minolta’s, and Nikon’s, as well as large format cameras, like 4 x 5’s, and an 8 x 10. He worked solely in black and white for quite a few years, developing and printing his own film. When he worked in color, it was largely with Kodachrome. In the last decade or so of his life, he worked digitally on a Nikon.
When I think about his approach to photography, the first thought that comes to mind is that he had a very kind eye.
Jim designed computer facilities in both Sacramento and Boston. He ended his career in social services, as a counselor at Downtown Emergency Shelter in Seattle, where he approached that work with the same kindness that guided his photography.
He’s pictured here doing what he loved to do best, explore the sloughs around Sacramento in his Klepper. This was taken on Lost Slough, south of Sacramento, a hidden gem that was home to a wonderful family of swans.