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The Art Of Losing It — It’s A Good Thing

April 30, 2019 by Lonnie Lardner

Confession time. The last thing I do before I go to sleep at night, is think about what kind of treat I’m going to have in the morning. And after breakfast, it’s when can I have my next sweet morsel. I am in fact, much like Winnie the Pooh. Here’s a quote from the star of A.A. Milne beloved’s books.

“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,” said Piglet at last, “what’s the first thing you say to yourself?”

 “What’s for breakfast?” said Pooh. “What do you say, Piglet?”

  “I say, I wonder what’s going to happen exciting today” said Piglet. 

   Pooh nodded thoughtfully, ”It’s the same thing” he said.

But every once in awhile, I am presented with a reminder that the thrill I get feeding my face, is nothing to the one I get when I feed my soul.

 Last weekend we did a video shoot for my new website. We needed some closeup shots of someone painting. That would be me. We had specific needs for the video: which brushes to stack, what colors to put on the palette.  But a funny thing happened once we were rolling. I forgot all about the shoot, and lost myself. When the shoot was over, I found myself still messing around with paint on canvas. It was a better high than the best chocolate I’ve ever inhaled. (Sorry about that, Teuscher.)

So, for the 1,765th time, I am reminded that I shouldn’t wait for a “reason” to do what I love. It’s not expensive, it’s not unhealthy, it doesn’t make you fat. My goal tonight, is to go to bed thinking about what art I can create in the morning — before breakfast.

Filed Under: Creative Zone Tagged With: art for art’s sake, art making, creative expression, feeding your soul, making time, painting, Winnie the Pooh

Shorebreak Shooting – How Passion Begets Beauty

March 31, 2019 by Lonnie Lardner

“Crystal Ball” Photograph by Clark Little.

He may just be a surfer dude, but Oahu resident Clark Little is blowing the minds of photography fans all over the world. A total adrenaline junky, Little admits he loves the rush of getting tossed about in the waves. With childlike abandon, and a set of flippers, he fearlessly dives into his shoreline landscape.

It all started when his wife brought home a (lame) picture of North Shore waves. And he basically said, “I don’t think so.” He let the tide take him on his way. And in the last 8 years, he has never lost his sense of wonder. Each shoot is pure joy — and it shows. It’s what every artist should feel — and share. Check out the video and photographs below.

“Snake Eyes” by Clark Little
“Point of Contact” by Clark Little
“What Lies Beneath” by Clark Little
“Mohawk” by Clark Little
“Waimea Eddie Shorebreak 8” by Clark Little
“Blue Rise” by Clark Little
“Marlin” — the artist’s favorite shot.
“Blown Glass” by Clark Little

Filed Under: Artist Spotlight, Creative Zone Tagged With: Clark Little, Hawaii, Oahu photography, ocean photography, passion for art, surf art, surf photography, surfers, Waimea

My Mystery Minimalist

February 28, 2019 by Lonnie Lardner

(Pic #1) Little Alexander’s minimalist contribution to our art workshop. For him, it was more about what not to paint.

For the last 30 years I’ve had the joy of running art workshops for hundreds of inner-city kids in South Central LA.  Each session offers a chance for every child to express his most creative instincts. There are no rules. No instruction. Just a few hours of unbridled artistic energy.

(Pic #2) Fearless self expression in paint, metallic powders, cotton balls, and buttons.

With that kind of freedom, we typically witness franetic applications of paint, glitter, confetti, stickers, beads and, well, pretty much anything that glue can keep on the page. (Pic #2) Layers upon layers of color, texture, and goo. It’s almost as if it’s their last day on earth, and if they don’t load up their artwork with 16 pounds of “stuff” there will be no trace they even passed through.

So when I spotted the pure red and black minimalist painting above, I freaked. Kids don’t do that. If there are jars of glitter and glue, they will be emptied. Paints are poured, poured again, and almost nothing is left on the table.

Minimalism is defined as a 1950s abstract art movement whose pieces “minimize distractions and focus on only what matters.” The boy who painted the minimalist piece on top apparently gets that. In fact, I think it takes a certain discipline and clarity of thought to eliminate objects from a painting instead of adding them.

My only regret is that I didn’t get to meet this young Ellsworth Kelly.  He apparently skipped out and left his work on the sidewalk. Another perfect artist move.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Creative Zone Tagged With: Abstract art, art for kids, Ellsworth Kelly, inner-city kids, kids' art, minimalism, minimalists, young artists

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