Wire Sculptor Larry Trocosso is Menifee Artist of Month

One of Larry Trocosso's most recognizable wire sculptures depicts the raising of the American flag on Iwo Jima in World War II.

By Arts Council Menifee

Larry Trocosso has been involved with one art form or another most of his life. As a boy, he enjoyed carving wood and sculpting clay. As a young man, he worked with other media and even created stained glass windows for several years. Then he discovered wire sculpting and now works full-time designing what is in his mind’s eye.

His unique wire art works have earned him the distinction of being named January’s Artist of the Month by Arts Council Menifee.

The copper wire he usually works with varies from not much wider than a hair to more than one-eighth of an inch in thickness for his larger size wall sculptures. His completed works range in size from approximately six inches to life size.

"I think of my wire sculptures as creating a quality pen and ink drawing directly on the wall, only the wire sculpture can be moved," said Trocosso, of the Sun City community of Menifee.

All of his artistic endeavors have been self-taught, although he did take some art classes through community colleges. He found working with wire relatively easy, bringing together many of his previous artistic experiences into one.

"I learned by making mistakes, reading books on art, taking classes in college and so on," he said. "When I’m asked how long it took me to create a sculpture, my favorite reply is that it has taken me a lifetime to learn and about 80 hours to create."

Much of his work these days is commissioned but he displays original works at art shows and exhibits every chance he has. Arts Council Menifee’s visual arts division co-chair, Linda Morrison, said this is the first time in five years that wire sculptures have been part of the gallery.

"Larry designs the most unique and amazing art," she said. "His ‘Iwo Jima Flag Raising’ won him an award at our first juried art show this year."

One of his latest creations, "Native American", is on display at the gallery at the Kay Ceniceros Senior Center in Menifee.

"When I relocated from the San Gabriel Valley, I started looking for a new art association to get involved with that was actively involved in the city and supported art education. Arts Council Menifee has what I am looking for," said Trocosso, 75.

He said the best award he can receive is when a fellow artist purchases one of his sculptures.

"Larry is not only an accomplished artist; he also is an active participant in all of our visual arts events," Morrison said. "We are proud to award him a most deserving honor of being named Artist of the Month."

For more information, please visit www.artscouncilmenifee.org or call 951-290-2781.