The Lardner Report

Unleash your creative superpowers!

A More Creative “Drive-By Shooting”

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PLAY ME: https://youtu.be/hvtovLRZw7s 

While most of us are learning to think “outside the box,” artist Jeff Soto thinks “outside the car.” Chevrolet recently tapped the world-famous muralist as part of its series of promotional campaign “stunts” targeting younger buyers.

Turbocharged robotic paint guns — similar to those used in automotive factories — gracefully slide out of the new Chevy Sonic, and force a grand assault of pure paint onto a massive brick wall in Oakland, California. The artist tweaks the mechanical precision work by spray painting his own lines and marks. In the end, we are left with a stunning mural, and Chevy gets you to watch this video.

Still Frame: Chevy/Jeff Soto “drive-by” mural, 2012

Soto graduated with distinction from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena.

 

Take the Time

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(Pic #1) Close-up, abstraction on power box panel, Los Angeles 2012

Breathe — and discover.

For those of you who know me, you are well aware that I struggle with what airlines call “OTP” — on time performance.  The only time I arrive promptly for an event is when I make the trip with my husband — whose OTP might be just this side of OCD.

Last week I whined all the way from our home in Ventura County to West Hollywood.  Josh and I were heading out to see a Richard Lewis show at the Largo Theater on La Cienega, and he insisted we not be tardy. Experiencing an unusually low volume of  L.A. traffic, it seemed as if we were going to be hours early — which made me cranky — and I teased him about it incessantly. Until — while waiting on line — I caught a glimpse of this fantastic distressed, forgotten, power box standing at the edge of the sidewalk.

(Pic #2) Art on the outside

I stopped in my tracks.  Stunning. This clunky metal structure was covered with gorgeous weather-beaten abstractions. I took a breath and began xenical exploring and shooting with my iPhone. Zooming in on all four sides, I found these intricate rough-edged pieces, made from years of disintegrating layers of plaster, paper, glue, graffiti, and angry carvings.

Some of the photos remind me of contemporary paintings by Julian Schnabel, and some of the silkscreen combines of Robert Rauschenberg, but mostly, they revealed their own identities.

The lesson was clear: there are lovely advantages in stopping to breathe, namely being able to genuinely savor the surprise that awaits you. Had I not allowed for breathing room (even if it was forced on me) I would have lost out on these very special visual treats. You’ll see it happen all the time — and your experiences won’t be limited to utility closets or street graffiti.  Take the time, and life’s most precious moments will find you.

(Pic #3) Two small abstractions - paper, paint, paste on electrical panel.

(Pic #4) Left: Abstraction that evokes Japanese woodcut art. Right: Weathered and torn paper collage. Both images from electrical box panels.

(Pic #5) Poster paste abstraction.

 

 

How Art Derails 1000 Years Of Animal Instinct

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Worth watching to the end.

“Rasta” the rare Hungarian Vizsla slowly stalks a frozen wolf-like figure on a golf course (though it turns out to be a coyote). This is real time, not slowed down.  The slow creep toward the sculpture actually took about 6 minutes, cut down to a bit over 2 minutes. The shot is shaky because it was recorded on an iPhone.

Notice Rasta’s “aha moment” when, upon discovery of the ruse, he seamlessly shifts into “play mode” and fetches his ball.

Historically the Vizsla is older than most breeds and its existence can be traced back to the 10th century.  Through the years the Vizsla has held a rare position among sporting dogs – that of household companion and family pet. Experts say The Vizsla is a natural hunter endowed with “an excellent nose and an outstanding trainability.” Although they are lively, gentle-mannered, demonstrably affectionate and sensitive, “they are also fearless and possessed of a well-developed protective instinct.”

Primitive stone etchings, estimated 1,000 years old, show the Magyar huntsman with his Vizsla and falcons.