larryjoemiller's photostream

Larry Joe Miller has been an artist and musician since 1960. He has fronted many bands, including The Thingies, the Rockabilly Rockets and currently, The Delusions. Larry Joe studied art at the University of Nebraska in the ‘60’s and subsequently went into the commercial art field. At Northern Natural Gas in Omaha, he worked as the art project manager for the Board of Directors. After completing design projects at NNG, he moved to the Fort Worth area to work on the special arts team at Grumman Aircraft in Arlington, Texas.

After several years in the commercial art arena, Larry Joe realized that it was not fulfilling his desire to create art from his heart. So he packed his bags and moved to Manitou Springs, Colorado, where he opened an artists’ venue called “A Touch of the Bizarre”. This unique gallery featured Larry’s sculpture, painting, and jewelry, along with the work of other regional artists. In 1975, he moved away from the cold weather to Ft. Lauderdale, participating in local art shows and teaching jewelry classes at Nova High School and Broward Community College.

Larry opened “Quicksilver Jewelry” in Himmarshee Village in 1978, where he showcased his original art, metal sculpture, and jewelry designs. It was one of the most successful galleries in the early days of the burgeoning downtown Fort Lauderdale art scene. In 1982, Larry decided to close Quicksilver and go back on the road with his rockabilly band. He traveled extensively throughout the east coast of America, playing gigs at colleges and clubs like the now-defunct CBGB. But after several years on the road, Larry knew it was time to come home to Florida and settle down.

Larry Joe has been an active member of the Broward Art Guild since 2001; he served as a Board Member and chairman of the Exhibition Committee. He was President of the Broward Art Guild in 2007-2008 and is the current President of the Hollywood Art Guild. His work and his passion are promoting the arts in South Florida. Larry leads a local Plein Air painting group and has sponsored several Quick Draw outdoor art competitions and auctions. He often presents one-of-a-kind linoleum printing demonstrations at city and county events. You can watch Larry Joe create linocuts every Saturday at the Tarpon River Art Center (TRAC) in downtown Fort Lauderdale.