Carbondale cartoonist showing at Basalt’s Art Base

Local cartoonist Larry Day’s attention drifts to squirrels battling each other in a tree outside his Carbondale window. It’s a momentary distraction that seems on-brand for an artist who finds comedy in life’s everyday absurdities.

“I want to share a sense of humor,” the nationally respected artist said of his latest art show.

The Art Base presents the solo exhibit, “Larry Day: Ha Ha Ha,” with an opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3, including an artist’s talk at 5:30 p.m. The exhibition runs through Oct. 31, supported by a sponsorship from Ken Ransford.

Day has received numerous awards from the Colorado Press Association for his work with The Sopris Sun. He’s both a cartoonist and a storyboard artist. 

“It’s a collection of work I’ve done mostly for The Sopris Sun,” he said. 

The show is mostly cartoons, with a smattering of illustrations and ad campaigns.

Growing up in Central Illinois, Day always drew, but he didn’t think about where it would lead. In fact, one art teacher in high school failed him — Day wasn’t deterred because they mainly disagreed on the subject of art, as she preferred macrame and he preferred cartoons. 

When he was 17, his father took him to a manufacturing company with an in-house art department. There, Day witnessed storyboards being created, sparking his career inspiration.

In the early 1980s, he went to Chicago. Initially, he worked for arcade and pinball games for a few years until he landed a job at the advertising agency Leo Burnett Chicago as a full-time storyboard artist. He drew storyboards for companies including Disney, Hallmark, Philip Morris International, and Allstate Insurance, among others. 

Remember the Allstate Mayhem commercials? Although not his original concept, he mapped those out. He continues to create storyboards, with an upcoming project for Bank of America.

“I love doing them,” Day said. “The way I do storyboards is part of the reason I like doing them. I pencil them out and use watercolor. It’s unorthodox. It’s an anomaly.”

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Typically, storyboard artists use markers. Yet, when he witnessed an art director choosing to use watercolor pencils, he realized there was another way. 

“That’s what he used, and I was like, ‘Wow, that’s pretty cool,'” he said. He switched overnight and never looked back.

Day and his wife, accomplished children’s book writer Miriam Busch, moved from Chicago to Colorado a few years ago to be near family who were attending school.

Day’s expansive career also includes painting with oils and watercolors. Recently, he went to capture some of the beauty and colors in Avalanche Creek. He’s also represented by the Redstone Gallery.

The Art Base is located at 174 Midland Ave in Basalt. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays. For more information, visit theartbase.org.