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Chew On This: Gorgeous Gum Wrapper Art

September 30, 2014 by Lonnie Lardner

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That’s a wrap! Colorful chewing gum papers provide meaningful daily devotion for one Los Angeles artist.

 Artist/analyst  discovers the joys of art making – in minutes.

I preach it in my workshops – and to anyone who will listen: “Do something creative – ten minutes a day.” I know about the dramatic impact of daily creative activity – how it changes the way we look at things, and how we approach problem-solving.  But every time I see what Leslie Howard produces consistently – I’m talking every day – I’m knocked out.

Leslie is a Los Angeles psychoanalyst writing a complex dissertation for her doctorate degree. She has been spending most of the last 5 years reading, writing, and working with patients. But somehow, she manages to stay true to her commitment: making art from trash – the tiniest of throwaways – and recording the little sculptures on her iPhone. She made over 300 of them last time I checked. She will soon complete a full year.

They are beautiful, whimsical, and sometimes daunting. Daunting because you can’t imagine how anyone can produce another month’s worth of compelling forms. They are tossed out gum wrappers, for heaven’s sake. How does she find so many new ways of re-inventing them? Well, I think the answer is in the task: the more we create, the more ideas flow.

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Filed Under: Artist Spotlight Tagged With: benefits of art making, daily creativity, gum wrapper art

Red Light Rauschenberg

August 31, 2014 by Lonnie Lardner

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(Pic #1) Grab shot on Olympic and Bundy, Los Angeles

Let traffic serve as your muse

Next time you’re stuck in one of our city’s nightmarish jams, take advantage of the unplanned stop. The wait at the stubborn red light just might provide an opportunity for a grab shot worth keeping. I’ve always  been a fan of Rauschenberg’s “combine paintings,” and lately I keep seeing quirky versions of them right through my windshield. From tractor trailers to local pool guy trucks, I always find exciting shapes, lines and textures. They make fantastic photographic compositions (Pic #1) — with little or no planning.

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(Pic #2) Grab shot in downtown Santa Barbara

The stoplight strategy works for sweet architectural encounters too. (Pics #2, 3, 4)  All of these were  shot out the window on the way to or in Santa Barbara while waiting for the light to change. Today’s sprawling urban landscape just begs to be captured – and you don’t need extravagant light kits or 10-thousand dollar lenses — just a willingness to conquer the congestion with a fresh look at exactly what’s in front of you.

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(Pic #3) Santa Barbara second story. Photo by Josh Kaplan

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(Pic #4) Subtle wall wash, Malibu, Cali.  Photo by Josh Kaplan

Filed Under: Creative Zone Tagged With: art from the driver's seat, art in traffic, camera-ready, found art, photography in the street, Rauschenberg, street art

Today’s Pic: Chaos Can Be A Beautiful Thing

July 31, 2014 by Lonnie Lardner

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(Pic #1): Treasure on a Truck

On a recent excursion from Los Angeles to San Diego, I drove by what appeared to be a chaotic payload of pure junk. But after closer examination, it turned out to be a very sweet visual treat. I begged my husband to slow down so I could grab the iPhone and shoot the fleeting work of art. (Pic #1)

I’ll never know who the driver was, but I applaud his ingenuity and sense of order. It appears he mathematically calculated a space for everything – thereby creating his own pure act of “organized chaos.”

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(Pic #2): “Number 8” oil and enamel on canvas by Jackson Pollock

Chaos on Canvas:

In fine art, especially in emotional abstract expressionism, successful disorder is often considered a “happy accident.”

Jackson Pollock embraced this kind of spontaneity in his work. He is best known for the paintings that look more like haphazard splatters than literal representations of everyday life.

One of Pollock’s contemporaries, Willem de Kooning believed that Pollock brought chaos to the world of painting “so that a new painting could be born out of the chaos he created.”

I can’t imagine my southbound trucker had the same intention, but at least I get to showcase his unintentional, anonymous work of art on the worldwide web.

Filed Under: Found Art Tagged With: art on the freeways, chaos in art, found art, Jackson Pollock, organized chaos

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