South Central LA

(Pic #1) Defining focus: One of several dozen young artists expressing imagination though acrylic paints in South Central LA, Halloween 2016.

“If all you have is a hammer, then everything looks like a nail.” — Abraham Maslow

So the other day, in reference to something I can’t for the life of me remember, my husband threw out this old proverb. I had no earthly idea what point he was trying to make, and as I often do, I just filed the conversation somewhere inside my most underused medial temporal lobe.

Then over the weekend, Hope’s Nest (hopesnest.org) volunteers and artists held our annual Halloween art workshop in South Los Angeles. As always, it filled me with a sense of joy, and I quickly began planning our Christmas session. Suddenly, in celebrating the excitement of the moment, and the anticipation of the next, I had an epiphany. I realized that the bliss I experience from of these events, comes from the same source: putting kids together with paints.

(Pic #2) 9-year-old Leimomi showcases her work. Yes, her shirt says, “Always be yourself, unless you can be a unicorn.”

At that moment, I realized Halloween is not about candy, nor costumes; the treat in the “trick or treat” for me, is watching the little ones tap into a creative spirit that they almost never get to show off.

For me, I know now that Christmas is less about the presents, or even the spirit of the season, than it is about crayons and acrylics, the boundless sprinkling of glitter, and kids who rarely get to play with these materials.

And Easter? Easter is about resurrection, but it’s the rising of artistic energy from the kids — toddlers to teens — as they design their one-of-a-kind Easter eggs.

That’s when that proverb crawled it’s way back into my brain. I realized it applied to me. All I have, metaphorically, is a paint brush, so in a real way for me, everything looks like a canvas. That’s obviously an oversimplification, but the thought of it makes me smile. Wanna paint?

Check out a few of our favorite creations here:

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(Pic #1) Sharing a hug with my unsung hero, Tommy Tapia. Through his benevolence, he and the Tapia family in the San Fernando Valley have made joyful holidays for thousands of inner-city children. (Photo by Josh Kaplan.)

You’ve probably never heard his name, nor have the thousands of children whose lives are a little bit brighter because of his generosity. So I was thinking it’s well past time I introduced you to Tommy Tapia — the Secret Santa of Halloween.

(Pic #2) Young artist decorates her pumpkin during Saturday’s workshop at Denker Rec. Center, South Central LA

In October of 1989, I began holding art workshops for children and teens in the beleaguered South Central section of Los Angeles. I hadn’t a clue how to organize such things, and while the L.A. City Parks Department welcomed any supplemental enrichment programs, with city budgets perpetually tight, I had to rely on the kindness of others to make it happen. Happily for me, that’s when I met the Tapia family.

All in the Family

(Pic #3) Tommy Tapia handing over pumpkin “minis” for Foster Mom Charmaney Bayton, of Inglewood

The makeshift structures, hand painted signs, assorted critters and funky farm equipment show these three generations of crop producers are the real deal. Tapia Bros. is an extended family operation that began with their grandfather nearly 80 years ago. Tommy Tapia works with his brother Felix, Jr. and they make sure visitors — especially kids — leave with a smile.

(Pic #4) A tennis court full of little masterpieces at one of our early workshops, Green Meadows Rec. Center, South Central Los Angeles

The Tapia Bros. Farm stand on Havenhurst in Encino has been a part of (what’s pain relief left of) the San Fernando Valley’s agricultural landscape for nearly 30 years. You’ll find strawberries, tomatoes, and oh-so-sweet corn during the summer, and by fall you’ll discover tasty squash, pumpkins, corn mazes and hay rides — just because.

I remember asking the patriarch of the family, Felix Sr. if he wouldn’t mind donating a few pumpkins to our cause — and without hesitation he gave me a thumbs up.

We saw 40 kids attend our first workshop. Most of them were so excited to be given “their own” pumpkin to decorate. But the thing that stands out, and the thing that has driven me to keep these sessions going for nearly a quarter century now, was at the end of the day, when child after child came up to me to ask permission to take their pumpkins home with them. It was a really big deal to them, and a bigger big deal to me. It actually changed my life. And it wouldn’t have happened without the Tapia Brothers.

Most of the pictures you see here are from last week, when Tommy Tapia came through for us again. Only this time it wasn’t 40 pumpkins. See, our little workshop has grown some over the years. On Saturday roughly 350 kids painted their hearts out, and yes, every one of them got to take home their masterpiece. But what they might not know — is that they also took home a little piece of Tommy Tapia’s heart. That’s ok, as he proves to me every year around this time — there is always more where that came from.

(Pic #5) Left: Tommy Tapia “hauling happiness” for hundreds of young artists. Right: Brother Felix Tapia, Jr.

It’s All About That Paint, ’bout That Paint, ’bout That Paint….

Halloween’s “Secret Santa” For Children Of South Central