Larry Brandstetter’s passion for art began at the kitchen table.

When he was 8, Brandstetter recalls his mother sitting in their Morningside home with an open phone book nearby.

“She would draw these ladies in chiffon dresses and heels,” Brandstetter said.

Her whimsy sparked his creativity, according to the self-proclaimed doodler.

“I like to create art that has a positive theme,” said Brandstetter of Monroeville. “I like to see people smile.”

The artist is part of the “Reimagined” exhibit at The Manos Gallery in Tarentum, showing through Feb. 27.

From inside the East Fifth Avenue gallery where his work is on display, Brandstetter cited several examples of “bringing light” to his art. He pointed to a portrait of a pudgy orange alligator looming large on a scribble-filled canvas.

“This guy gobbled up all the hate in the forest and waddled back to the pond,” he said. “All is good.

“At first glance, you might only be drawn to the alligator, but if you travel through the piece, it’s filled with fantasy.”

Brandstetter’s style is distinctive. He uses a pen or colored pencils, mixed media and sometimes even glitter to conjure storybook-style illustrations.

Gallery co-owner Ernesto Camacho said “the response from the public is wonderful.”

“It’s full of whimsy,” he said. “There’s something special in every little detail.”

For Brandstetter, it’s sometimes a case of obsession.

“I can’t stop until I fill every space,” he said. “The undulating landscape might be filled with dogs and children and flowers. I want people to have to travel through each scene.”

Growing up in Pittsburgh, the artist didn’t fall far from his family’s creative tree. His grandfather was an oil painter who also specialized in wood whittling. His aunt had a “wonderfully creative” way of looking at the world.

From those early moments in childhood, he emulated their style — and to this day frenetically sketches wherever he is.

“I might doodle for an hour while I’m having my coffee or while I’m talking on the phone,” Brandstetter said. “My mind is always busy. I never stop.”

A 1972 graduate of the Ivy School of Professional Art in Downtown Pittsburgh, Bradstetter spent several years as a working artist. His first one-man show was at the Monroeville Public Library.

For 11 consecutive years, his pieces were chosen for entry in the rigorously juried competition section of the Three Rivers Arts Festival. He sold each of the 33 entries that were accepted.

Soon after, Brandstetter took a hiatus from his craft “to pay the bills.” He opened Creative Silkscreen in Penn Hills and, for 35 years, ran a commercial screen-printing business while he put his creative abilities on the back burner.

When he retired in 2016, it was if he woke up from a nap, Brandstetter said.

“I picked up a pen and paper and started just like no time had passed,” he said.

Since rejoining the art world full time, Brandstetter has earned several local honors, including the Pittsburgh Society of Artists’ Distinction Award for his pencil-and-ink drawing “Spike n’ Louis.”

He is a member of the North Hills Art Center, East Suburban Artists League, Pittsburgh Society of Artists, Cranberry Artists Network, and Latrobe Art Center.

His current show is not his first at the Tarentum gallery, the aesthetics of which he has fallen in love with. The original home of the Manos Theater, the 1920s building features exposed brick and individual showrooms.

“It’s such a unique place,” Brandstetter said.

He hopes to return in September for the gallery’s juried art show, “24 Minis,” which will showcase collections of cohesive 6-by-6 canvases from each artist.

“It makes me feel good to see people smile when then look at my work,” he said. “I want them to have the pleasure of endless looking.”

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