Art by Silver City’s Larry Kotik center of new display

Tucked away in his studio in the hills of historic Silver City, Larry Kotik works day and night on as many as 25 paintings at a time.

Now, his first one-person show, “Larry Kotik Unframed,” is going up in Silver City.

Educated at the University of Colorado, Denver, Kotik began a career in music production but later switched out his discipline for painting.

A turning point for his art career in Nevada was a commission to create a historical community mural for Dayton Elementary School in 1993. With the assistance of his wife, Diane, a teacher at DES, and students, he worked day and night for six months to design the project. The 12-by-84-foot mural was completed in 90 days, and it can still be seen in the school’s gym. He received a Sierra Foundation Grant for the project the following year.

In his Silver City exhibition, Kotik’s urban landscapes tell a story of the human condition, incorporating images of family, friends, and community members.

While the artist believes, as Vincent van Gogh did, “painting is for the painter,” beauty isn’t forsaken in his Great Basin scenes that invite the viewer to contemplate the larger picture of life.

His style has been described as reminiscent of Van Gogh’s, as swirls and dips of paint are meticulously applied to the canvas.

Kotik moved to Nevada in 1990 and Silver City in 1998, where he’s dedicated to daily painting and five-mile hikes with his black lab, Noodle.

Silver City Arts is hosting a reception with light refreshments from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday at the exhibit inside the Silver City School House, 385 High St.

Since 2014, Silver City Arts has hosted music, visual arts, and poetry events and programs. The group draws on the community’s own resource of artists, artisans and musicians, and also connects with regional and statewide groups to bring programming by national and international artists and musicians. Ran by volunteers, its mission is to “encourage the arts, build community, and share our unique town through free, public events.”

For information about the show, contact Carol Godwin of Silver City Arts at godwinsilvercity@aol.com.