The Lardner Report

Unleash your creative superpowers!

Art From The Ashes

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If you follow this blog, you know there is nothing I love more than what’s called “found art”— beautiful images found in cracks of sidewalks, or from peeling paint on a rundown building. But a few weeks ago I encountered some of those “accidental canvases” that left me deeply unsettled.  It has been just over 6 months since wildfires tore through Southern California, killing more than 2 dozen people, and destroying thousands of homes. For 30 years as a TV journalist I covered stories like this. So when the iconic Pacific Coast Highway reopened — and I had a chance to go see the aftermath for myself — I went.

I have close friends who lost their homes in the Palisades Fire, so I expected to be deeply moved by the devastation, and I was. But something else happened as well, something I didn’t expect. Literally amid the ashes were dozens of scenes that in any other context I would have considered abstract  masterpieces. As Josh went about documenting what we saw, I admit for a moment, I felt a thrill, excited by the patterns, textures, colors, and shapes. Lost in the familiar wonder of artistic discovery, I had momentarily blocked out the unfathomable suffering these fires caused. Since that day, I’ve felt so guilty for feeling that moment of joy.

Exterior wall of home on Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu
Interior wall of a home with surviving window frame, Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu

Since the beginning of time, painters, poets and writers have moved us by depicting moments of humanity and grace in the midst of tragedy and challenge. But that was their intention. This isn’t that. This is a devastating disaster leaving in its wake these images that in any other circumstance I would find… breathtakingly beautiful.

Weeks have passed since we visited Malibu and I’m still unresolved by my reaction to what I saw. So after weeks of ruminating, I decided to post some of the photos. Why?  Well, this blog is an attempt to share my life-long creative adventures. In many ways, it’s been a celebration of the emotional riches that art has brought me. Almost always, that emotion is simple joy. This time it wasn’t, and I guess that’s just part of the journey too.

Concrete interior wall, home on Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu
Shooting a row of decimated businesses on the opposite side of PCH, Malibu
A room with a view, oceanfront home on PCH, Malibu

(All photos by John Kaplan.)

The Perfect One-Liner

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Sketch by artist @shouxin13141

A minimalist drawing that inspires my lazy ass.

My excitement over this sketch is this: It’s packed with energy, loose in style, and created basically with one stroke. it’s probably a 10-second work. It’s also proof that simplicity can be a beautiful artistic statement. In one jittery marking, the artist here has captured “the essence of cat.”

If you’re considering a dive into some basic drawing, try this. Look at the image above, and see if you can create your own one-liner. It’s super satisfying, and just might tackle your fear. There is no perfect way to draw a cat, and you could consider it a sort of warm-up for other sketches. It’s easy, pressure-free and requires no art-making experience. Try this approach with a cool wide-tip marker or piece of charcoal, and find time to draw every day.

For more from this artist, check out images and videos on Instagram: @shouxin13141

An Unexpected Collaboration With Nature

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(Pic #1) “Skeeter” – My modern day cave painting, formed by poured water on rock. Wildwood Regional Park, Thousand Oaks. Photo by Josh Kaplan.

I always carry a bottle of water on my hikes. But until yesterday, I never used it to make art. While walking up a tough trail, and just back from visiting a sweet waterfall, I spotted a blue streak smack in the middle of the parched, rocky path. There was dust over it — obfuscating its richness — so I decided to pour my Fiji over it to see the streak’s true colors. I splashed out the rest of my H2O supply and saw this creature emerge from the dusty rock.

Meet “Skeeter” (Pic #1)  I see him as sort of a spontaneous, creative collaboration between me and earth — a kind of ephemeral piece of performance art that vanishes before it’s complete.