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Program Description
Event Details
Darien Library and Barrett Bookstore are excited to welcome award-winning photographer, Ben Larrabee, who will discuss his new book, Trudie: A Portrait by Ben Larrabee. This new photo book features 51 portraits of the artist’s wife and muse, Trudie, photographed over a 20-year period. The collection offers an intimate exploration of love, trust, and the evolving role of the artist’s muse.
The evening will include a moderated conversation with Ben, Trudie and local artist, Mindy Green. The discussion will provide insight into the creative process behind the book, including the influence of Larrabee’s mentors — such as Harry Callahan, Alfred Stieglitz, and Edward Weston — and the deeply collaborative nature of the work.
Signed copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event.
About Ben Larrabee
Ben Larrabee's formal training as an artist began in 1962 at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) where he discovered his passion through his mentor, world-renowned photographer Harry Callahan, and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography. In 1978, he continued studies at Yale University, where he earned an MFA in graphic design.
Ben's fine art background has trained him to photograph as an artist, so by instinct he includes elements of composition, rhythm, texture and space in the images. Ben states, "I’m a portrait photographer because I find enormous narrative substance, emotional depth and spiritual satisfaction in helping to create and record special moments in the lives of my subjects."
In addition to portraits Ben also photographs landscapes and nudes. His photographs, commissioned and personal, are in many private collections, as well as in the permanent collections of the George Eastman House, in Rochester, New York; the High Museum in Atlanta, Georgia; the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
About Trudie Larrabee
After leaving the NYC corporate sales and marketing world to join husband Ben in 2003, it’s still a dream for Trudie Larrabee to be building the photography practice together. As an art history major at Williams College, she learned how important visual cues are to both the artist and the viewer. From the first meeting to the final installation, Trudie is the point person guiding clients through the process. She assists Ben on every photo shoot, along with scheduling and choosing images for the final presentation. In addition to being Ben’s muse and partner in the practice, Trudie is the one who gets things done.
About Mindy Green
Mindy Green is an award-winning, multidisciplinary visual artist who creates abstract paintings, portraits, and sculptures, working in private and corporate collections here and abroad.
Since 1992, Mindy has been teaching art, and art with a therapeutic approach, to adults, children, and special populations in schools, hospitals, and outreach programs. She has two studios in Norwalk: artGARAGE where she teaches and Firing Circuits where she paints. Mindy is an active member of Silvermine Arts Center and Guild of Artists, Rowayton Arts Center and the Center for Contemporary Printmaking. For more informaton about Mindy, visit @minddaly on Instagram.