larry mills -”the past is present” @ lyrik 7-31-10

July 28, 2010

By J.Shea

“the past is present”

a collection of photography by larry mills

opening reception-sat. night July 31st, 2010
7pm till 10pm

lyrik
2035 se 39th ave.
portland,or.97214

www.lyrikpdx.com

show runs through august 27th, 2010

I met Tanner Goldbeck (racecar13.com) in 2003, through our mutual friend, Joe Shea (jshea9.com). As it turns out, Tanner was a car guy and introduced me to others who were as well. They knew a lot about cars, built them and sometimes raced. I spent quite a bit of time hanging out in their garages and shops, witnessing what they do, and taking pictures of it for fun. They introduced me to a culture that I wasn’t really aware of even though it had been around for years. At first it looked like they were just working on old
rust buckets, then I heard them fire-up, rode in them, and my perspective changed. What they were doing was more like art to me. What they wore, the music they listened to, their lingo… it was all interesting. What started out as fun, turned into a bit of an obsession as I tried to capture the essence of what they were about.

It was a trip to the Los Angeles County Raceway (LACR) for the 2004 Antique Nationals Drag Races that broadened my perspective even more. I was invited to tag along and rode shotgun with David Krueger (bass player for the band, Blazing Haley) in his car. After a mind-bending two-hour ride in a fully-blown, 600HP, 1952 DeSoto Station Wagon, we arrived at the track in Palmdale, CA. As I walked around, I found myself surrounded by a bunch of people who were the same breed as my friends. It was like taking a step back in time (pre 1974 to be exact) and after spending the day shooting everything in sight, I knew this wouldn’t be my last time going to an event like it. Since then, I have attended many others that include: Ratfink Reunion, March Meet, Paso Robles Car Show, El Mirage and most recently, the Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekender #13.

Tanner also introduced me to the folks at Garage Magazine for whom I’ve now done several photo shoots. On one memorable assignment, I had the opportunity to meet car builder, Cole Foster and take a 100 m.p.h. ride in the ’36 Ford he built for Kirk Hammett (guitarist for the band, Metallica).

These days I’d like to say I’m a little bit more of a car guy, but I’m sure I’ll never have the true dedication it takes to be the real deal. I can’t see myself breaking out a toolbox on the side of the road after my car breaks down, and get it rolling again. For now, I’ll just observe, maybe drink a couple of cold “road sodas” and trip the shutter button on moments that make me wish I was. In the following page of this book you will find a selection of images that came from some of those moments.

Born and raised in California’s agricultural, Central Valley, Larry Mills, now a resident of Santa Barbara, is a mostly self-taught photographer using his cameras as tools for survival and artistic expression. While studying Graphic Design at S.B.C.C., he made the personal discovery of photography. So taken by it in fact, after only two semesters of formal training in the medium, he chose to forfeit the rest of his education to free-up more time and energy for the sole purpose of learning-by-doing.

Since that decision, photography has played a roll in his life on an almost daily basis. Larry, has used his gained knowledge to obtain working positions in professional imaging labs, execute editorial assignments for
numerous print and online publications, exhibit in solo and group art exhibits, and photograph live music for the Santa Barbara Bowl, concert venue, where he has been the house photographer for ten years.