All of us at OnTheWight were incredibly sad to hear this week of the passing of the wonderful Lawrence (Larry) Holofcener.
The Bembridge-based, American-British sculptor, poet, lyricist, playwright, novelist, actor and director sadly passed away on 4th March, just a week after celebrating his 91st birthday.
Fascinating life
We were lucky enough to meet Lawrence several years ago, during one of the annual Open Studios events, when he opened his studio to the public.
In awe of his sculptures, one of which he was working on at the time (from memory, Barack Obama), it was a delight to spend time talking with Lawrence and his wife, Julia, about art, life and the universe.
It certainly was a ‘Day of Change’
We couldn’t stretch to buying a sculpture, but did manage a copy of his 1976 book, Day of Change – which he advised should be read in one sitting.
It’s a story delivered through poetry and one that was written whilst he and his family renovated an old mill in New Jersey.
During our conversation, Lawrence expanded on life at the Mill and also talked about some of the subjects of his sculptures, including Albert Einstein, who’d lived nearby in New Jersey and was regularly spotted down by the waterfront.
A true inspiration
Spending just an hour or so with Lawrence and Julia filled us with enthusiasm and a great lust for life and learning.
He’d achieved so much in his lifetime; singing; writing; acting; directing and creating fantastic pieces of artwork, he was an true inspiration.
Our sincerest thoughts go out to Julia, Lawrence’s two children and all his family and friends. He will be sadly missed.
Image: © With kind permission of Growing Bolder – taken when Lawrence was 85.
