Larry Calkins was born in 1955 in Corvallis, OR, and grew up in a small logging community named Harlan. He stepped into the family tradition of working within logging operations, but after serious injuries in logging accidents, he decided to pursue his obvious talents in the arts. He has lived in London, England, and has traveled widely throughout the US and Europe.

In the early 80s up until 2003 he worked in photography related fields in Portland, OR and Seattle, WA. In the late 80s he and his wife, a former architect, began building their house near Issaquah, WA, where they have lived for the past 26 years with numerous pets, chickens and 2 mules. Larry works daily in his studio and in his metal shop -- or in the sometimes sunny, but often wet and cold outdoors.

Beginning in 2003, Larry Calkins has been Artist in Residence at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, WA, for several years in a row. He is also an instructor at Pratt Fine Arts in Seattle and several other teaching venues in the Seattle area, including the Kirkland Arts Center, NW Encaustic in Seattle, Winslow Art Center on Bainbridge Island, artEast, Issaquah, and he has taught Art Workshops in Italy, Hawaii and Sun Valley, Idaho.