Found Art - The Lardner Report

Transitory Art: Now You See It, Now You Don’t

March 23, 2014 by Lonnie Lardner

(Pic #1) Ephemeral art – off the wall

I’m on a rare vacation with my husband, but I am still always on the lookout for amazing art. In one morning, I saw two great works. The first is this piece by controversial artist Damien Hirst. He’s the dude who celebrates death in his art – by showcasing dead animals in formaldehyde and sometimes live creatures in artificial environments. If PETA has a public enemies list for artists, he would probably be number one. He’s shown a severed cow’s head – with an infestation of flies – and a suspended bull’s head in a tank – which sold for 18 million dollars . (Pic #2)

(Pic #2) Butterfly installation by Damien Hirst

(Pic #3) Butterfly installation by Damien Hirst

(Pic #3) "The Golden Calf" by Damien HIrst

(Pic #2) “The Golden Calf” by Damien Hirst

The Hirst painting I saw hanging in the dining room at the Rancho Valencia Resort, is made up of hundreds of butterflies – all perfectly, flatly arranged – under glass. (Pic #3) The butterfly series, called “In and Out of Love” was recently featured at the Tate Modern in London, and received some scathing reviews. The resort says this piece is worth over 2 million.

Fleeting Beauty

The other extraordinary work I found is actually more to my taste. (Pic #1) Its floating shapes remind me of some of Georgia O’Keeffe’s work. (Pic #4) It’s not worth millions – in fact it’s never been appraised at all. It’s a spectacular piece, but by the time I finished writing this post, it was gone forever. The artists name? Well, I guess it’s “Subaru.”

(Pic #3) "Music - Pink Blue" by Georgia O'Keeffe, 1918

(Pic #4) “Music – Pink Blue” by Georgia O’Keeffe, 1918

See – this incredible collection of shapes and colors was caused by the San Diego sun reflecting off the tail and brake lights of a Subaru XV that was parked near the entrance to the hotel. (Pic #5) It was there just long enough for me to notice it, and grab a quick picture. It will never hang in a museum, or gallery for that matter, nor the dining room of a ritzy resort, but for one moment, on one Sunday morning, it emerged as a masterpiece.

(Pic #5) The art of reflection

Accidental Art

December 31, 2013 by Lonnie Lardner

(Pic #1) Drywall prep in NYC cafeteria renovation

It’s simply about being aware… conscious, open.

While surveying a corporate bank client’s new cafeteria construction site in a Manhattan high-rise last month, I stumbled onto this gorgeous green wall (above). I fell in love — with the color, the haphazard strokes of paint, and the funky protruding electrical cables. It reminded me of Franz Kline’s work (normally in black and white) – at a fraction of the cost. The funny thing was – I kept hearing managers asking contractors about the space, “when will this be done?”

I chuckled to myself – because I felt it WAS done. In its current state, this stretch of drywall has all the elements of a Rauschenberg combine: loose, wide brushstrokes, a sweet sense of negative space, and 3D objects adding intrigue and dimension.

The saddest thing is – this underground masterpiece will never be seen by anyone – but you, right here. I just heard that construction on the eco-friendly cafeteria is completed, and employees and customers will now only see what they’re supposed to see: perfection.

(Pic #2) And then there was one: Lonely work glove expresses “tude.”Photo by Josh Kaplan.

In my corporate creativity workshops, I always stress the importance of really SEEING what’s around you. Sometimes that means looking down. Way down. Case in point – the parking lot surprise above (Pic #2) left by someone in a hurry. Lying viagra flat on the asphalt – in a classic F-YOU pose, this work glove emerged as a striking road sculpture in the middle of an Encino strip mall. We did not stage the extension of the middle finger – it apparently ended up that way after hundreds of drive-overs and thousands of pounds of crushing pressure from speeding SUVs.

One of the true tests of whether something is “successful” art is its ability to engage. The abandoned glove had us speculating over lunch for an hour. Did my husband really just point-and shoot? Or did he “arrange” the piece in a bogus bird-flipping position? If he did just “capture” the art as it was – how did the glove land smack in the middle of a perfect light source? The answers are simple: it was a glorious happy accident.

(Pic #3) A section of a weathered window decal at my dry cleaners.

Sometimes, while waiting on line somewhere, I’ll fixate on something mundane – like my cleaners’ neglected storefront window. (Pic #3) Weathered and cracked, its sign “Murre” has become unreadable. But it manages to give us something else: a stunning abstraction in emerald and grey.

I encourage you to look around your world and find the beauty – no matter how ordinary your path. Those little visual treats are just waiting for us to notice.

The Artist’s Intention: WTF?

November 30, 2013 by Lonnie Lardner

(Pic #1): The Lardner-Kaplan niche (top)

Guest post by Josh Kaplan
One of the best things about art, in fact maybe my favorite thing, is that it’s the one place where you can make a statement, and never have to explain, justify, or back it up.

Here’s an example: an installation at our house, above our garage – where you find an arched niche. This is an architectural accent found in Spanish-style homes and in Catholic Churches dating back to the 12th Century. They are recessed portals designed to give emphasis and protection to the saints or statues on display inside. As you can see, that place of honor at our house is now occupied by a Gumby figurine.

What does it mean?

Well, Lonnie was raised Catholic, and went to Catholic school, but as she grew older she had many unanswered questions about organized religion. It also began to bother her how quickly and thoughtlessly we bestow our worship on things and people who don’t really deserve it. So this is a piece questioning the dogma of religion, and the superficial entities we raise to the level of deity. Except. — I’m lying. I just made that up. Lonnie’s art doesn’t tend to be that philosophical.

When we bought the house, it felt to Lonnie like the last stage of becoming a grownup. The responsibility seemed overwhelming. So the Gumby represented her inner child’s last desperate grab for a piece of her consciousness.

OK – that’s cipro B.S. too.

What’s the point? If either of those stories had been true, and Lonnie had shared them, they would have fundamentally changed your perception of the art. To me, the really transformative thing about art is that it can touch something deep inside you, but that something is different in everyone. It shouldn’t be dictated by the artist.

OK – you have been patient, so here is the real story. When Lonnie turned 7, her mother bought her a Gumby doll, and she loved it the way only an 7-year-old can. Well that summer, she was tossing Gumby in the air, and he landed on the window ledge on the third floor of her junior high school. Gone forever. She was wrecked.

She told me that story a few years ago, and so I bought her a new Gumby, just to make her smile. Then I velcroed his feet onto the bottom of that empty alcove so she would see it when she pulled in the driveway every day. See, it wasn’t artwork at all, just a private gesture from me, to her.

That is, until last weekend – when a stopped-up drain prompted a call to a plumber. Johnnie arrived a couple hours later, knocked on the door, and before even introducing himself, he said, “Hey, before we get started — I gotta tell you — I am really digging the Gumby.”

Now that’s art.