Featured Artist: Tracy Larsen

Christmas is such a magical time and Tracy Larsen’s 2014 ornament, Snow Fun Ferris Wheel, will add a unique touch of magic to any tree. Continue reading to learn a little more about Tracy’s inspiration.

Like most preschoolers, Tracy Larsen spent a lot of time with cartoons—but instead of just watching them, Tracy studied them! He spent his childhood hours drawing characters from The Flintstones™ and Peanuts®.

He also copied newspaper comic strips, but at the mature age of eight, Tracy moved to the more sophisticated material on the editorial page. The 1968 Nixon vs. Humphrey presidential race became a favorite subject.

While looking through newspapers and magazines, Tracy started noticing the differences among artists’ styles—another aspect of his self-described “knack for art.” He studied everything he found around his house, from European magazine illustrations to his own personal favorite of the day: Mad magazine.

Tracy did his first sculpting with clay-like kneaded erasers, but through his schooling, moved on to higher-quality materials and projects. He produced his first serious sculpture, a bust of Muhammad Ali, while he was still a teenager. During junior high and high school, Tracy kept honing his skills in his art classes, his primary instructor/mentor being the noted fantasy artist, James Christensen. What a great program those schools must have had, since Tracy is one of several classmates now working as professional artists.

Snow Fun Ferris Wheel (2014)
20th in the All-American Truck series

A favorite of his wife’s, the Ferris wheel is a must ride at any amusement park. Tracy believes “There is a magical, turn-of-the-century romance that surrounds Ferris wheels that I believe lends itself well to the nostalgia we feel at Christmas time, so it seemed like a good subject for an ornament.”

“In creating the ornament, I wanted to use a wintertime theme in both design and color. A snowflake motif for the wheel seemed like a natural fit with its six points to place carriages,” Tracy shared. Snowmen then became “the logical choice as patrons for this winter adventure. They look like they’re having fun as they circle around with the lights flashing and the wonderful calliope Christmas music playing. I especially like the little snowman vendor inviting us all to ride along.”

In trying to figure out how to bring the magic to life, Tracy and team decided to use a pull motor to activate the movement and sound. “Encasing the motor back by the wheel gears and making it part of the design,” was one of Tracy’s favorite elements.

Tracy hopes everyone will “Step right up, ” and enjoy this ornament as much as he enjoyed making it.