The Lardner Report

Unleash your creative superpowers!

A Kind Of Beauty I Can’t Explain

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(Pic #1) Oceanfront property in Santa Barbara County — worth millions.

Shore vs: Street

The views are unspeakably stunning. It’s why the Santa Barbara coast is known as the American Riviera. I get kind of giddy when we drive through its lush landscaped back roads, and get to walk barefoot on the beach. But nothing sends me spinning like the raw, painterly improvisations by local graffiti artists. On this day, less than 50 yards from the crashing waves — I spied a full city block of impromptu abstractions on an abandoned property in Summerland.    (Pics #2 #3 below)

It’s a rush I have trouble explaining to others.

For most, visiting this big bucks zip code, the breathtaking vistas, and sprawling homes are the attraction. For me, it’s the spirit of freedom (and admittedly defiance) that gets my heart pumping.

(Pic #2) Street art on an abandoned property in Summerland.  MY kind of view.

Capturing Van Gogh — at Age 6

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It’s all about the energy!

(Pic #1) “The Starry Night” / colored pencil on paper / By Mickey Goldman, 2021.

(Pic #2) “The Starry Night” by Vincent Van Gogh,  / oil on canvas / 1889.

Nothing gives me greater joy than to see a child express herself creatively in an original way. So often young students are steered toward drawing a perfect replica of their subject. For some reason, early on they are encouraged to make sure the tree on their page looks exactly like the one they are looking at. But what emerges with this approach — is a duplicate — a copy — a basic photo reproduction of something that already exists.

(Pic #3) Artist Mickey Goldman, age 6

But guess what: the child who captures “the essence” of her subject — not the literal translation — is actually creating original art —  and more important; original thought. My niece Jamie’s daughter Mickey, who just turned 6, accomplished this while immersing herself in the work of Vincent Van Gogh. Her Mom says she’s a huge fan of the Dutch master, and likes to color in his high energy style. (You can see her spirited interpretation in Pic #1.) Without “copying” his strokes, she captures the feeling of the original with her own dynamic movements and marks.

I’ve heard from many executives I work with that they were told in 2nd or 3rd grade that their drawing looked nothing like their intention. One was even told by a teacher that he should give up art-making all together. Are you kidding me? The bottom line for me is: Let them play. Let them explore. Let them be themselves. This kind of freedom can only lead to fresh discoveries about the world around them, and enrich the lives of rest of us.

He’s A Painter — He’s A Priest. Father Bill Moore Serves God In Many Ways

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(Pic #1) Father BIll Moore in his San Dimas studio. One of the loveliest human beings I’ve ever encountered — with talent commensurate with his devotion. Photo by Western Art & Architecture Magazine.

Welcome To His “Last Show”

Until recently, he still said Sunday mass at his Holy Name of Mary parish. But his holiest work fills the walls of his packed, exhaustingly hot art studio in a business park in San Dimas. Father Bill Moore, who I’ve had the honor of meeting and working with, knows his calling: creating magical acrylic paintings on canvas, and sharing them with everyone. He lives to paint — and says his art “makes him a better priest,” and his faith “makes him a better artist.”

Some of his larger works sell for as much as $14,000. But he has always wanted to make his work accessible, so he makes smaller, more affordable pieces for $100 as well. But Father Bill never sees the collectors’ checks. As a member of the Order of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, he took a vow of poverty, years ago. In exchange for his artwork, clients pay the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts. “I won’t touch a check with my name on it” he says.

He is a tender, loving, gentle soul. An artist at heart, and a teacher by vocation. The paint splattered all over his jeans and shoes shows how every fiber of his being is about creative expression. He told me he almost always incorporates tiny treasures he finds on the street: pieces of screen, bolts, slivers of metal and wood. (Pic #3) The details matter to him. — In art, and in life.

(Pic #3) Found bolt in detail of “The Reality of Spirit and Matter.” 48 x 60

We once went to a local bakery where we shared a plate of sweets, and he made a special trip back up to the counter to make sure they had one more treat left to bring back to his friend RIch at the church.

Like his artwork, Father BIll is an original. One-of-one. It’s no wonder he was the only one in the seminary who insisted on minoring in fine art. That was a new one for his superiors.

While his current exhibit at The Progress Gallery in Pomona is billed as his “last show,” I don’t like to acknowledge that it might be. I prefer to think his paintings will always be living representations of his creative soul —- and that every paint stroke, pebble, every splash of color —- was made specifically for me. I have to keep the connection. It just might be the most religious experience I’ve ever had.

Like father and son: Moore’s art representative, Tom Irwin shares a moment of love and deep appreciation with the artist.

 

 

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