About Larry


Painting

Larry painting Big Country Bucks

Larry Zach's art is characterized by lifelike scenes and stunningly accurate wildlife. Observers often remark that the paintings trigger memories of past days spent immersed in nature's wonders.

Larry often invests as much, or more, time researching his subjects and planning the composition of a painting as he does laying down brushstrokes. This careful preparation ensures an unparalleled representation of wildlife set in a scene that is both complimentary to the subject and rewarding in its own right, often providing hidden gifts for the careful viewer.

Larry's work is painted with oil and acrylic paints.

About Zach Wildlife Art

Zach Wildlife Art has been in the business of providing collectors with the highest-quality wildlife art for over 25 years. Larry's wife, Marcia, manages artwork sales and can help answer any question you may have, from purchasing artwork to selecting the right framing combination. 

At Zach Wildlife Art, we guarantee 100% customer satisfaction; if something isn't right, we will do anything within our power to correct it.

We thank you for your loyal patronage all these years, and we look forward to many years more!

Background

A deep love of nature is the underlying theme in Larry Zach’s life. Born near Swisher, Iowa, on October 2, 1946, Larry spent countless childhood days exploring the fields, streams, and forests surrounding his family farm overlooking the Iowa River bottoms of southeast Iowa. These early hunting and fishing expeditions served as a prerequisite for his later Fish and Wildlife Biology degree from Iowa State University.

Larry then served as a combat infantryman in South Vietnam where, among other honors, he earned the Bronze Star of Valor. Even when in Southeast Asia, he never lost his fascination with the natural world. While acting as squad point man he collected tropical butterflies with a devise fashioned from a military-issue mosquito head net and stiff jungle vines. Each new species was carefully folded in toilet paper, stored in a discarded grenade canister, and shipped back to Iowa. The collection, along with other Vietnam mementos, remains on display at his parent’s home. 

Upon returning from Vietnam, Larry studied science education and museum techniques, earning a masters degree at the University of Iowa in 1972. For the next 18 years, he taught science at the junior and senior high levels in Ankeny, Iowa. Spreading his love of nature to teen-age students was a major goal during his teaching career. Larry was project oriented and believed in hands-on teaching methods in his classroom, which was full of plant and animal specimens. From establishing a school prairie to teaching students the art of taxidermy, his goal was to encourage respect for nature and love of the outdoors. His dedication to teaching is evident by his being nominated twice for Teacher of the Year.

The beginning of Larry Zach’s career as a professional wildlife artist can be traced to 1983 when his painting of a wood duck pair was selected as winner of the Iowa Duck Stamp contest. In 1987, he captured the "grand slam" of the Iowa art world by being simultaneously selected as Artist of the Year by Iowa Ducks Unlimited, Iowa Pheasants Forever, and the Iowa Wild Turkey Federation.

Larry’s prints are extremely collectible. November Frost, a whitetail painting, was released in 1989 at a price of $80 each. Today, the same print often sells for over $2000. By 1992, Larry was selected as one of the Top 20 Most Popular Artists in the nation and Broken Solitude-Whitetail was picked as one of the Top Most Popular Prints by U.S. Art magazine. Then, in 1995, Larry was once again selected as one of the Top 10 Hottest New Artists in the nation by Informart magazine. The National Wildlife Turkey Federation chose Larry as Artist of the Year in 1997, for which he designed the 1997 National Turkey Stamp and Print. The state of Iowa selected Larry to design a series of three Habitat Stamp prints for 1997,1998, and 1999. During those same three years Larry released an extremely popular series of prints, called the Old Rivals series. Old Rivals I, Old Rivals II, and Old Rivals III, which depict old farm scenes, are full of nostalgia and rivalries the mesmerize collectors. Each one includes a pair of big whitetail bucks that actually existed and lived in close range to each other. The three Old Rivals prints were all immediate sell-outs. 

Larry Zach’s lifelike scenes and strong collector following have resulted in ever-growing popularity amongst wildlife art lovers across the nation.

Awards

  1. Designed 1984 Iowa Duck Stamp.

  2. Artist of the Year, 1988, Iowa Ducks Unlimited, Iowa Pheasants Forever, Iowa Wild Turkey Federation.

  3. In 1992, Larry was selected as one of the Top 20 Most Popular Artists in the nation and Broken Solitude-Whitetail was picked as one of the Top Most Popular Prints by U.S. Art magazine.

  4. In 1995, Larry was once again selected as one of the Top 10 Hottest New Artists in the nation by Informart magazine.

  5. Arkansas State turkey stamp 1995.

  6. The National Wildlife Turkey Federation chose Larry as ‘Artist of the Year’ in 1997, for which he designed the 1997 National Turkey Stamp and Print.

  7. The state of Iowa selected Larry to design a series of three Habitat Stamp prints for 1997,1998, and 1999.

  8. Recipient of the ‘Governor's Iowa Volunteer of the Year Award’.

  9. His image, Old Rivals I, made over $1,000,000 for conservation groups including Pheasants Forever, Ducks Unlimited, National Wild Turkey Federation, Quality Deer Management Association, Rocky Mt Elk Foundation and Whitetails Unlimited.

  10. Over 25 state and national magazine covers including Outdoor Life, Fur, Fish and Game, Sporting Classics, Bowhunter Magazine and the Iowa Conservationist.

  11. November Frost-Whitetail by Larry Zach selected as ‘Favorite Whitetail Painting of all Time’, Grandview Outdoors by Dave Maas, 2018.

  12. First place ‘oil painting-fine art’ 2021 Iowa State Fair.

  13. First place ‘oil painting-fine art’ 2023 Iowa State Fair.

Articles About Larry

https://www.grandviewoutdoors.com/bowhunting/my-favorite-whitetail-painting-all-time