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Art’s Most Seductive Disappearing Act

September 30, 2017 by Lonnie Lardner

(Pic #1) Detail, reflection of a Chevy truck door on my hair salon wall. Woodland Hills, CA.

Now you see it, now you don’t.

Sometimes I think ART is messing with my head. It’s always when I least expect it — something catches my eye walking to or from an appointment. This time I was on my way to Salon Sirenetta for a haircut and highlights (not exactly critical to the story, but nonetheless) when shiny, tombstone-like  patterns on the parking lot wall jumped out at me. (Pic #1)

(Pic #2) Minutes later — the art had vanished.

I couldn’t tell if they were caused by a funky paint job, or maybe a gifted local muralist. Upon further inspection, I saw that they disappeared when I walked by. Light bouncing off a big black truck door was causing all the hubbub, and I played with the shadows and reflections until I was satisfied that was the source.

Art can be transitory, sildenafil fleeting, and when it’s really on its game — a big tease. With the shifting of the sun, the patterns above just lasted a matter of minutes — and by the time I left the salon, the whole work of art was gone. (Pic #2)

Despite its trickery, or maybe because of it, I find this kind of interplay exciting. There’s something about savoring an ever-so-brief moment like this that stirs up my own artist within.

It reminds me of the “zen” experience of painting on a Buddha Board. As you see in the video above,  you paint with water — so your designs disappear in a matter of seconds. The practice is a great exercise in connecting with the present, and not being obsessed with outcome. Process — not product. The work you paint now, will soon be a memory. There is no time to get attached or judge your results. It’s the ultimate lesson in “letting go.”

Filed Under: Found Art Tagged With: Buddha Boards, disappearing art, murals, not product, process, transitory art, vanishing art, zen experience

How Our Cat Unearthed My Creative Past

August 31, 2017 by Lonnie Lardner

(Pic #1) “Piglet” shuffles my trashed collection of art, and brings it back to life.

I had a wonderful epiphanic moment this week. A moment that was born of my insanely competitive nature, and brought into focus by my 14-year-old, deaf, asthmatic cat.

(Pic #2) Cumulus Pac Man  / Acrylic on board.

My husband recently went on one of his organization binges. The result was that his home office was spotless, everything in its place. Usually, I just get jealous that he has a pristine work environment, but this time, I got competitive. “If he can clean up his office, I can organize my art studio even better.”

So I did. I went through everything, organized and cleaned. When I finished, I had this huge pile of old paintings, collages, and drawings — some were half finished, and some had fallen victim to the inner critic, and were long ago consigned to the junk heap.  I dumped them on the living room floor, prepared to banish them once and for all.

(Pic #3) Test / Ink and dress patterns on board.

That’s when the cat came in. (Pic #1) As she often does, Piglet wanted to lie in the most inconvenient place, and that was right on top of the pile. At some xenical point, she began to play with the paintings — pawing and shuffling, shuffling and pawing. When I came back out, she had uncovered some of the artwork which had been hidden deep in the stack. (Pics #2, 3, 4, 5, 6) So I was forced to look at it again.

Suddenly I saw it all differently; maybe none was a masterpiece, but then again, some were actually okay. I had convinced myself that the time I had spent on those paintings was wasted, because I was not satisfied with the results. With the passage of time, I actually now really like some of those cast-aside pieces.

(Pic #4) Beverly Zen / Collage on board.

And more important, here is the epiphany: the time I thought I had wasted on those paintings, was actually time wonderfully well spent. Looking at that discarded art with a fresh set of eyes has inspired me. Right now I am loaded with ideas for what I want to paint next. And I have a clean studio in which to do it.

(Pic #5) Woosh / Acrylic on paper.

(Pic #6) Utility box, St. Petersburg, Russia / Photo, collage.

Filed Under: Creative Zone Tagged With: art making, artists, cats and art, collage, drawing, old work -- new inspiration, painting, re-visiting your art, seeing art with fresh eyes, self-criticism

Grand Central: Finding A Masterpiece in the Belly Below

July 31, 2017 by Lonnie Lardner

(Pic #1) Left: Cement wall flanking Track 126, Grand Central Station, NYC. Right: Multi-million dollar drip painting with notes, by iconic American artist Cy Twombly (1926-2011).

Unexpected art in the bowels of the world’s most storied station.

It happens to me all the time. I find myself whining about the heat or the physical challenges of navigating the city, and WHAM — the universe tosses a stunning little visual treat my way.

Taking the Metro North up to Westport, Connecticut, I was in one of those moods. The sweltering heat was making me cranky, and my train was leaving from what seemed like the grossest, stinkiest, deepest underground level in the terminal.

Then I suddenly noticed the half-washed walls, layers of soot, and general urban decay finasteride surrounding me.  It wasn’t gross at all — it was stunning. The lack of maintenance and cleaning left patterns of black and white, drips and stains from mold and old paint. Vertical lines from moisture and wear-and-tear. Lovely marks that referenced one of my favorite abstract painters, Cy Twombly. (Pic #1 – right).

I recorded these “museum walls” with my iPhone, and suddenly realized I had one of the best days in NYC in years. So, the biggest secret about Grand Central isn’t the secret sub-basement, (that the Nazis nearly destroyed) but the surprises left on the walls —  from nothing more than neglect. Sometimes art reveals itself in the strangest ways…now if only we could be ever so slightly more aware of its playful intent.

Filed Under: Found Art, Travel Tagged With: art is everywhere, art on the train tracks, art underground, Grand Central Station, street art, unexpected art

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