The Lardner Report

Unleash your creative superpowers!

A Boy Who Channels A Master — from the 50s

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(Pic #1) Laser-focused artist “Jaylen” splatters his way to a perfect abstraction. Hope’s Nest Halloween Workshop, Van Ness Recreation Center, South Los Angeles. 

He just started splashing paint around…

It caught my attention — especially since most kids are compelled to “stay within the lines” and to make art that “looks like something.” It’s just how most teachers steer them. They are often taught to copy — to draw with precision — the object in front of them.

Then there’s Jaylen. A young man who stopped by our Halloween Art Workshop in South L.A. and spun my head around. I asked if he knew about abstract expressionism and had he heard of Jackson Pollock. He said, “This IS Jackson Pollock.” I quickly shut my mouth, and silently thanked the teacher who took the time to introduce him to one of my fine art heroes.

Not only did he know one of the greatest painters in modern art, he knew at that moment, to be true to Pollock’s explosive style, he had way more splattering to do. He wasn’t finished. He had at least “one more coat” of black to apply before he could dry his thickening masterpiece in the sun.

His work would take longer to dry than any other child’s at his table, but he probably knew that Pollock would often have to wait a month for his paintings to cure.

The Holy Truth About Halloween: It Never Was About The Candy

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(Pic #1) Young artist contemplates the next level of color. Laser focus. The Next Gen Helen Frankenthaler?

For the last 30 years, we’ve sponsored art workshops for children in the often forgotten heart of the inner-city, South Central Los Angeles. Since 1988, we’ve offered holiday painting sessions with no rules. The community turns out very time, and an unbridled sense of self-expression — though paint, glitter, beads and pipe cleaners — takes over the neighborhood park. Toddlers, teens, grandmas and Moms sit with one another for hours — making art.  I’ve written about this experience many times. And each year I think — have I hit the wall? Will these workshops become more of a hassle than a beacon of light?

NEVER.

(Pic #2) World famous abstract painter Helen Frankenthaler in her New York studio, 1969. Photograph by Ernst Haas / Getty Images

Every year, we witness fearlessness, freedom of artistic expression, and for a few hours, the absence of anyone telling the kids they have to “do it this way.” They splatter paint; they collage. They toss glitter all over the room, and in the end, they’ve spent the day like an artist: exploring, pushing the envelope, and having a blast. There’s no angst, no second thoughts, no insecurity. I guess you could call it a brand of reckless abandon that starts with no real plans to speak of, a table full of colorful clutter, and ends with remarkable original work. And they don’t even know it. Nor do they care.

More often than not, I see kids using materials in ways I had never thought of — and I’ve been making art since I was four. My artist friend, Julia Strickler volunteers every year. Today she told me she’s “in constant awe” observing how open the children are — that even when they’re shy, “art creates a connection.” And you can’t help but notice they just ooze pure joy. Julia says when they make something that is uniquely theirs — “every detail is beautiful — the colors, the sparkles, and even the drips.”

Picasso once said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” I’m hopeful these extraordinary talents figure that out.

BTW, I didn’t see one child playing games on his Mom’s iPhone, nor did we hear any whining. Check out our photos and maybe you’ll see why.

 

 

 

Thank you, Benita Dixon and staff at the Van Ness Recreation Center for welcoming our Hope’s Nest volunteers into your most spirited, creative commmunity.

 

Picasso Was Right: “Every Child Is An Artist”

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(Pic #1) My niece’s daughter, Mickey started fearlessly face painting before she was two. Photo by Josh Kaplan.

 The exact quote is: “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once she grows up.”

It’s so predictable. Kids start out painting on anything, with anybody, at anytime. Pure joy. No fear, no limits, no excuses. Their art is high energy, passionate, colorful, and free. I finally figured out why: Because they don’t give a flying crap. 

(Pic #2) Mickey’s first “abstract expressionist” painting with collage, “Fire Dragon.”

They don’t care what rules you set, what suggestions you make, what instructions you give. The truth is, they’re not listening anyway. They are so far ahead of us. All they know is their job is “to express” — and that allows them to paint whatever they want– whenever they want. And the coolest thing is, they don’t judge their work, so they don’t fall into that dark abyss of self-criticism, and they certainly don’t care what the finished product looks like. It’s about self-expression. That’s it.

When I paint with 2-year-old Mickey (Pic #1) she’s just as excited about squeezing a glob of gooey acrylic paint out of the bottle as she is about making her marks on the page with her brush. I get that. When I was little, I used to mix up concoctions of mouthwash, tooth powder and food coloring; I’d shake it up, and toss it on the floor “just to see what would happen.” It was so much fun to experiment.  And honestly, that’s art-making too.

It takes some discipline on the part of adults — not to control what kids are making. But in the end, it’s their artistic journey — not ours. The more we support kids creating “without boundaries,” the more they exercise their imagination.

I recently checked out the Italian Street Painting Festival at the historic Santa Barbara Mission. Some of the most gifted artists in the region “paint the pavement” with their dense pastels. A fantastic collection of traditional and contemporary work — drawn live, and sadly, destined to be ephemeral, due to the powdery consistency of the chalk. The first thirteen images are drawn by kids….with no planning or instruction. The next eleven are by adults.

Oh yeah, Picasso was right — and if there’s any chance for our kids to retain the artistic freedom they are born with, it’s kind of up to us, to follow their lead.

Below: Kids’ Art from The Santa Barbara Italian Street Painting Festival, 2017.

Below: Adult art from The Santa Barbara Italian Street Painting Festival, 2017.