Judge Larry Wilburn Shows His Artwork

The Dayton Rotary Club met this past week for their weekly meeting. Member Dr. Luke Chachere led the group in their opening prayer with member Refugio Gonzalez leading the club in the pledges. Rotarian Brook Hiller introduced Larry Wilburn who brought several of his paintings for the Club to view. Former Rotarian Larry Wilburn talked about his paintings and his passion for artwork. Wilburn, who is Liberty County Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace, also, has a catering and event business. However, his artwork was the topic of his presentation. The Judge reflected upon how he started painting at the age of 11 after his parents took him to an art store in Baytown. He is a self-taught artist and has learned to paint with both oil and acrylics. Throughout the years, Wilburn has entered several different competitions all around the United States including the Conservation Stamp Contest and the Louisiana Waterfowl Conservation Stamp competition sponsored by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF). The LDWF contest determines the image to be used on what is commonly known as the Louisiana Duck Stamp. This competition started in 1988 to champion conservation efforts and contribute to the wetland conservation. Judge Wilburn has become an award-winning artist through his various entries. During his presentation to the Rotarians, he stated that he put away his paintbrush and paints for about 30 years. “My biggest regret is that I did not use the gift that God gave me for those years. Art has become a big part of my life. Not only do I enjoy painting for the various competitions, I have been commissioned to paint specific pieces of art. I also have started teaching beginner art lessons.”

Wilburn brought several of his duck stamp art paintings along with one painting that he is working on which is a picture of old downtown Dayton. After several questions from the Rotarians, President Ansley led the club in the 4-Way Test.

The Dayton Rotary Club meets every Thursday and welcomes anyone interested to join the members at the Dayton Community Center at noon each week.