{"id":86456,"date":"2025-12-28T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-28T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/?p=86456"},"modified":"2025-12-21T18:48:54","modified_gmt":"2025-12-21T23:48:54","slug":"feature-artist-larry-ricci","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/arts\/feature-artist-larry-ricci\/","title":{"rendered":"Feature Artist:<\/strong> Larry Ricci"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

Larry Ricci, artist<\/p><\/div>\n

By Gina Malone<\/p>\n

Larry Ricci began making furniture for his home many years ago, never thinking of it as art. He continued working with wood through the years, but didn\u2019t get serious about creating on a regular basis until he retired from his career of more than 40 years as a high school social studies teacher and principal in Bucks County, PA, and, later, as an adjunct professor at LaSalle University.<\/p>\n

He grew up in South Philadelphia with a mother who worked for the government and was, he says, the smartest person he ever knew. His father, along with Larry\u2019s uncles, ran the family\u2019s Italian corner grocery store. It was he who first put tools in young Larry\u2019s hands and let him make things for fun in his workshop.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Larry Ricci, artist<\/p><\/div>\n

Although Larry didn\u2019t realize it at the time, the greatest influence on him as a future woodworker and artist came in 1975. \u201cThe woman I was dating, later to become my wife, lived in the cottage house on a beautiful farm owned by Bucks County artist Charles Coiner and his wife Mae,\u201d Larry says. \u201cThe Coiners had an addition built onto the farmhouse by George Nakashima and, of course, furnished it with his magnificent work. I was blown away with all of this. I had no idea that furniture and woodworking could be so sculptural. Nakashima\u2019s studio was only 20 minutes away so I was able to visit it regularly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once retired and with more time to spend on his woodworking, Larry began creating furniture and participating in fine art and craft shows in and around Pennsylvania. He and his wife had vacationed in Asheville and decided to move to Kenilworth four years ago, where he makes furniture in his basement workshop, No Walls Studio. \u201cI love living here with these incredible people and being part of the Kenilworth Artists Association,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Larry Ricci, artist<\/p><\/div>\n

Most of his work is natural live edge, and he never stains his pieces. \u201cI think of my work as bringing Nature into the home,\u201d he says. \u201cI love the look, feel and, sometimes, smell of the woods as they come from the forest. I look for woods that are highly figured, uniquely shaped and beautiful.\u201d He works primarily with burls and local hardwoods, intrigued by unique characteristics and imperfections. \u201cShopping for wood is one of my favorite activities,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019ve developed some strong relationships with a few of the small local mills. Sometimes, I see a piece and know exactly what I want to do with it. Other times, I see a piece that I really like and it takes a little while for the wood to tell me what it wants to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

After all this time creating, Larry still has trouble calling himself an artist. \u201cWhen people ask me at a show if I\u2019m the artist, I usually respond, \u2018It\u2019s my work,\u2019\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m more comfortable with being called a woodworker than an artist.\u201d It\u2019s work that he loves nonetheless. \u201cMy time in the shop is my retreat,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s wonderful, peaceful and restorative. I usually have some music or an audiobook going, and the dogs are in their beds by the heater.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"

Larry Ricci, artist<\/p><\/div>\n

Lucy Clark, owner of The Lucy Clark Gallery & Studio, first encountered Larry\u2019s work at the National Arts & Crafts Conference and Shows, where his work will once again be displayed next month at the Omni Grove Park Inn. \u201cI had been actively searching for a furniture maker for a couple of years,\u201d Clark says, \u201cand instantly knew that his work would be a perfect fit for the gallery. Larry honors the organic nature of the wood with a level of finish and refinement that truly begs to be touched.\u201d<\/p>\n

Staying close to nature as an artist and as a resident of the Southern Appalachian mountains is important to Larry. \u201cI deeply believe we are the caretakers of this place, not the owners,\u201d he says. \u201cIt is our responsibility to preserve the beauty that surrounds us. Hiking with my dogs on the trails brings this so close to my heart. I hope folks realize that I love doing what I do and take real joy in sharing my work with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Larry Ricci\u2019s work is available at The Lucy Clark Gallery, in Brevard. Learn more at LucyClarkGallery.com<\/a>. For more about the artist and his work, visit LarryRicci.com<\/a>. Larry\u2019s work will be featured at the National Arts & Crafts Conference and Shows February 20-22 at The Omni Grove Park Inn.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Larry Ricci began making furniture for his home many years ago, never thinking of it as art. He continued working with wood through the years, but didn\u2019t get serious about creating on a regular basis until he retired from his career of more than 40 years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":86439,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47,69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-86456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts","category-craft-arts"],"yoast_head":"\nFeature Artist: Larry Ricci - The Laurel of Asheville<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Larry Ricci began making furniture for his home many years ago, never thinking of it as art. He continued working with wood through the years, but didn\u2019t get serious about creating on a regular basis until he retired from his career of more than 40 years.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/arts\/feature-artist-larry-ricci\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Feature Artist: Larry Ricci - The Laurel of Asheville\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Larry Ricci began making furniture for his home many years ago, never thinking of it as art. He continued working with wood through the years, but didn\u2019t get serious about creating on a regular basis until he retired from his career of more than 40 years.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/arts\/feature-artist-larry-ricci\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Laurel of Asheville\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/thelaurelofasheville\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-28T11:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Feature-Artist-Larry-Ricci-IMG_5761-copy.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"701\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Amy Pryor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@AshevilleLaurel\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AshevilleLaurel\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Amy Pryor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/arts\\\/feature-artist-larry-ricci\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/arts\\\/feature-artist-larry-ricci\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Amy Pryor\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13d76582350fe4093b37d2b69174af00\"},\"headline\":\"Feature Artist: Larry Ricci\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-28T11:00:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/arts\\\/feature-artist-larry-ricci\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":808,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/arts\\\/feature-artist-larry-ricci\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/Feature-Artist-Larry-Ricci-IMG_5761-copy.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Arts\",\"Craft Arts\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/arts\\\/feature-artist-larry-ricci\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/arts\\\/feature-artist-larry-ricci\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/arts\\\/feature-artist-larry-ricci\\\/\",\"name\":\"Feature Artist: Larry Ricci - The Laurel of Asheville\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/arts\\\/feature-artist-larry-ricci\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/arts\\\/feature-artist-larry-ricci\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/Feature-Artist-Larry-Ricci-IMG_5761-copy.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-28T11:00:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13d76582350fe4093b37d2b69174af00\"},\"description\":\"Larry Ricci began making furniture for his home many years ago, never thinking of it as art. He continued working with wood through the years, but didn\u2019t get serious about creating on a regular basis until he retired from his career of more than 40 years.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/arts\\\/feature-artist-larry-ricci\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/arts\\\/feature-artist-larry-ricci\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/arts\\\/feature-artist-larry-ricci\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/Feature-Artist-Larry-Ricci-IMG_5761-copy.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/Feature-Artist-Larry-Ricci-IMG_5761-copy.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":701,\"caption\":\"Larry Ricci, artist\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/arts\\\/feature-artist-larry-ricci\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Feature Artist: Larry Ricci\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Laurel of Asheville\",\"description\":\"The Arts and Culture of Communities Across the Mountains\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/thelaurelofasheville.com\\\/updatestage\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13d76582350fe4093b37d2b69174af00\",\"name\":\"Amy Pryor\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4afbb9c963c7a0e8f027aafb31772d626615a03db2472868007f1e429a48cc2f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4afbb9c963c7a0e8f027aafb31772d626615a03db2472868007f1e429a48cc2f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/4afbb9c963c7a0e8f027aafb31772d626615a03db2472868007f1e429a48cc2f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Amy Pryor\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Feature Artist: Larry Ricci - The Laurel of Asheville","description":"Larry Ricci began making furniture for his home many years ago, never thinking of it as art. He continued working with wood through the years, but didn\u2019t get serious about creating on a regular basis until he retired from his career of more than 40 years.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/arts\/feature-artist-larry-ricci\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Feature Artist: Larry Ricci - The Laurel of Asheville","og_description":"Larry Ricci began making furniture for his home many years ago, never thinking of it as art. He continued working with wood through the years, but didn\u2019t get serious about creating on a regular basis until he retired from his career of more than 40 years.","og_url":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/arts\/feature-artist-larry-ricci\/","og_site_name":"The Laurel of Asheville","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/thelaurelofasheville","article_published_time":"2025-12-28T11:00:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":701,"url":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Feature-Artist-Larry-Ricci-IMG_5761-copy.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Amy Pryor","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@AshevilleLaurel","twitter_site":"@AshevilleLaurel","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Amy Pryor","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/arts\/feature-artist-larry-ricci\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/arts\/feature-artist-larry-ricci\/"},"author":{"name":"Amy Pryor","@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/#\/schema\/person\/13d76582350fe4093b37d2b69174af00"},"headline":"Feature Artist: Larry Ricci","datePublished":"2025-12-28T11:00:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/arts\/feature-artist-larry-ricci\/"},"wordCount":808,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/arts\/feature-artist-larry-ricci\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Feature-Artist-Larry-Ricci-IMG_5761-copy.jpg","articleSection":["Arts","Craft Arts"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/arts\/feature-artist-larry-ricci\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/arts\/feature-artist-larry-ricci\/","url":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/arts\/feature-artist-larry-ricci\/","name":"Feature Artist: Larry Ricci - The Laurel of Asheville","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/arts\/feature-artist-larry-ricci\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/arts\/feature-artist-larry-ricci\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Feature-Artist-Larry-Ricci-IMG_5761-copy.jpg","datePublished":"2025-12-28T11:00:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/#\/schema\/person\/13d76582350fe4093b37d2b69174af00"},"description":"Larry Ricci began making furniture for his home many years ago, never thinking of it as art. He continued working with wood through the years, but didn\u2019t get serious about creating on a regular basis until he retired from his career of more than 40 years.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/arts\/feature-artist-larry-ricci\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/arts\/feature-artist-larry-ricci\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/arts\/feature-artist-larry-ricci\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Feature-Artist-Larry-Ricci-IMG_5761-copy.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Feature-Artist-Larry-Ricci-IMG_5761-copy.jpg","width":1200,"height":701,"caption":"Larry Ricci, artist"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/arts\/feature-artist-larry-ricci\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Feature Artist: Larry Ricci"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/#website","url":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/","name":"The Laurel of Asheville","description":"The Arts and Culture of Communities Across the Mountains","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/#\/schema\/person\/13d76582350fe4093b37d2b69174af00","name":"Amy Pryor","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4afbb9c963c7a0e8f027aafb31772d626615a03db2472868007f1e429a48cc2f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4afbb9c963c7a0e8f027aafb31772d626615a03db2472868007f1e429a48cc2f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4afbb9c963c7a0e8f027aafb31772d626615a03db2472868007f1e429a48cc2f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Amy Pryor"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86456","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86456"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86456\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86459,"href":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86456\/revisions\/86459"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/86439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86456"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86456"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelaurelofasheville.com\/updatestage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86456"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}