The Lardner Report

Unleash your creative superpowers!

The Art of the Haul

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(Pic #1) Trucker hauling tires on the 405 in L.A. inspired this old-school sepia tone print.

Truckers in traffic: The art of abstraction is freeway close.

I guess you could call me obsessed. The Oxford dictionary says I would be labeled as such if I became “preoccupied with something… continually, intrusively, and to a troubling extent.” Guilty.

(Pic #2) Side of construction truck near Albany, NY

I can’t help it. I see 18-wheelers or old farm trucks and I’m sucked into a visual vortex: patterns of rusty holes, peeling paint, and flatbed piles worthy of a classic episode Sanford and Son. In these fleeting images I catch glimpses of stunning abstract art — some reminiscent of work shown in the world’s most prestigious contemporary collections and auction houses.

Finding the beauty:

In my corporate workshops I always stress the importance of really looking around us.  It’s become an annoying habit for anyone driving with me, because I’ve been known to engage in some light tailgating to get the shot I need. But if you make looking a habit, you will discover art in the most curious places. I happen to find expressways and side streets a great place to start. You’ll see quirky patterns and textures — and quite often, the making for a spectacular abstract-expressionist work of art.

(Pic #3) Left: Junked boxcars, Saticoy, CA. Right: Rothko"Blue Divided by Blue" (untitled) which sold for $4.1 million U.S. Rothko 's record: over $72 million.

Two cases in point: On a recent visit to an automotive junkyard in Saticoy, accutane California, I encountered a graveyard for old trucks, trailers, and box cars. They were all piled high and strewn about. I was mesmerized by the geometry and contrast in color.  The delicate patinas of blues and browns reminded me of the work of iconic Russian-American painter Mark Rothko (Pic #3). Then — popping out from the mountains of metal — bold primary colors you might only see on race cars or lunch boxes. (Pic #4)

(Pic #4) (Detail) Side of trashed truck, Saticoy, CA

The same week I shot the back of a rusty white truck, I also encountered a chillingly similar painting in the Museum of Contemporary Art in LA that I had never noticed before (Pic # 5). The artist is a Spanish abstract painter named Antoni Tapies. The piece is called  “All White, Number 2”– painted in 1955. The truck image was captured on the 101, passing through the San Fernando Valley in 2011.

It doesn’t matter which came first– it does enrich us if we notice both.

(Pic #5) Left: White rusted moving truck, Los Angeles, 2011. Right: Mixed media on canvas painting by Antoni Tapies, 1955. Artist's work typically fetches hundreds of thousands to millions of U.S dollars.

(Pic #6) Flatbed full of metal scrap, Los Angeles, CA

(Pic #7) Trashed truck, Saticoy, CA

(Pic #8) Twig truck, Agoura Hills, CA

(Pic #9) Industrial "tagging," Los Angeles, CA

(Pic #10) Distressed beauty, Encino, CA

 

Getting “Unstuck” — Four West Coast Artists Tell Us What It Takes

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(Pic #1)  Left: Adam Duritz, vocalist, Counting Crows — illustration by San Diego artist Beau Hufford. Right: R ‘n’ B icon James Brown, portrait by Beau Hufford.

Even the most accomplished artists will tell you – at any given moment — their creative flow can suddenly come to a paralyzing halt. Usually the best talents manage to navigate the choppy waters and find a way to emerge from the work-stopping struggle. We asked four successful contemporary artists from disparate disciplines to tell us where they go to “get unstuck.” Meet an architect, a sculptor, musical composer and a caricaturist who agreed to address the following:

Question: Whenever you feel creatively “stuck,” do you have a kick-ass way to break through the block?

Beau Hufford:  Caricaturist, San Diego, California (Pic #1)

Answer: “The worst thing I can do for myself is to force work out.  Deadlines exist.  Time exists.  I get it.  But ultimately I have found that I have to be unproductive until I am productive.  This definition does not equal being lazy or saying f**k it to the work.

It simply says that in order to really let your ideas flow, you have to take a walk, play a game, shoot a gun, have sex, eat a muffin or involve yourself in any number of distractions that exist in your world.  The goal is always on the edge of my awareness but realizing what I control and more importantly what I can’t control really helps me find the best stuff I have ever thought of.   The short answer to this question is:  have sex.”  Click here for Beau’s website.

(Pic #2) Composer John Sokoloff on stage

John Sokoloff: Composer, Los Angeles, California (Pic #2)

Answer:  “When (iconic Irish rocker) Bono was asked “What if you have nothing to write about?” He answered, “I write about nothing.”

We are never in a complete vacuum.  There is always something to catalyze creativity.  If I have nothing and get angry because of it — I will then write about anger.  The key is to not pre-judge one’s art.  This is what most often stifles creativity for me. Expectations. Remember, it’s inside out — not outside in.  Do not allow preconceptions (self-imposed or by others) to limit your spectrum.

Metaphors catalyze my music.  Sports, as one good example.  Every great athlete is an artist. Watching a Wayne Gretzky, Michael Jordan or a Magic Johnson in their day was experiencing ventolin music.  Every athlete has a moment of time to fill with creativity. Think a measure of music. A boxer can fill this time with 2 left jabs and a right cross. (In musical terms that is two 1/8 notes and a half note).  A hockey player is going down the middle of the ice — he can pass to the left, or to the right — or drop the puck back at reduced pace. The great ones will do the unexpected. This is creativity exemplified.

In sports, as in music,  patterns develop early in an event. A boxer will feed his opponent a certain pattern of punches for the early rounds and then change it up by faking and deviating from the expected pattern.  (Like we do in blues — develop a pattern which the audience depends on — then put a pause  in certain key areas to give a sensation of expectation abruptly changed.) The road not taken — taken. This allows for the tension, build up and release that makes music such a magical, visceral experience.”  John’s website: http://johnsokoloff.net

Flora Kao: Sculptor, Los Angeles, California (Pic #3)

(Pic #3) Installation, “Shroud” Vinyl tubing and video projection, 14′ x 14′ x 14.’ ‘By Flora Kao.

(Pic #4) “Drift” air plants installation by Flora Kao.

Answer: “I take a stroll through the aisles of Home Depot where I can examine the huge range of materials available for art making … that’s where I found my air plants (See Pic #4).

I catch up on as many museum and gallery shows as humanly possible to savor the great range of creative gestures out there and relish LA’s vibrant arts community…

I take a break with the visual feasts of Huntington and Descanso Gardens…  and add a healthy mix of freedom, deadlines, and rules to break.”

Flora’s website: http://floratkao.blogspot.com

Robert Carpenter: Architect, Los Angeles, California (Pic #5)

(Pic #5) Restaurant “Cuistot” in Palm Desert, California. Designed by architect Robert Carpenter.

Answer: “I’m a bath taker…getting stuck during design gets an E-Ticket straight to the tub. Super hot soakings release the bad mojo and brew the senses. When the creative juices are warmed and ready, sketches on the foggy glass enclosure translate to the ideas that bring satisfying completion.

My perfect space for stimulating creativity is an environment with music, light, and all supplies nearby. Whenever possible–outdoors.”

Read an in-depth profile on Robert’s work here.

Tripping Over Art

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(Pic #1) The confluence of trash and chemistry make a perfect photo opp

Truly savoring those split-second encounters with beauty, oddity and unexpected inspiration

Working on a public art project in a maintenance yard in West Los Angeles recently, I bent over to retrieve my pen and caught a glimpse of scattered trash, smashed cans, spilled chemicals, and some sort of baby blue iridescent powder spewed out on the cracked cement (Pic #1). It reminded me of the kinds of abstract paintings and collages I’m drawn to, and it made me wish I’d assembled this one first.

(Pic #2) Wrong turn - right art

A week later, in downtown Los Angeles at the old historic Pabst Brewery, I took a wrong turn during an art exhibition and found myself  in a hallway not included in the ArtWalk map. Again, a pile of junk — this time stacked up against a rusted door sporting a straight red line dividing the space into thirds (Pic #2).  To me, it had all the appeal of my first cholesterol lowering encounter with a Rauschenberg assemblage (Pic #3). The jolt comes in the discovery. The joy comes in documenting the image and taking it home.

(Pic #3) "Charlene" assemblage by Robert Rauschenberg, 1954

The lesson?

Imagine how many visual treats you might discover if you really began to look. Every time you step off a curb, drive through a car wash, or stand at the post office, you’d be adding to your mental – or digital- archive. Whether it’s on the back of a truck or trash on the street, the right combination of “things” is always vying for our attention. But unless we actually take advantage of the opportunity, the chance to capture these lovely images passes us by.

Art can truly be found everywhere…. even in your neighbor’s swimming pool. See “pool art” here. I promise you, by allowing yourself to spot it, catch it, and record it, you get to ignite your creative instincts, and more important, enrich your work – and your life.