THROUGH MY EYES -- RON DAVIS

Some of you may have read about the artist in Laguna Beach asserting a

constitutional right to sell his art in the public parks under the 1st

Amendment.

He’s challenged a Laguna Beach city ordinance prohibiting sales of art

in the public parks in the Federal District Court and lost. But, he’s is

vowing to take his fight further -- for the benefit of artists

everywhere.

What a guy! And everywhere includes Huntington Beach and Fountain

Valley. And if that happens, it’s goodbye public parks and hello

swap-meets.

If the selfish, me-first thinking of this Laguna Beach artist were

confined to Laguna Beach, I probably wouldn’t write about this. But, it’s

not. It’s a smog in the thought process of many that permeates virtually

every community.

The Laguna Beach artist’s case, although wrapped in the 1st Amendment,

really isn’t about protecting free speech. It’s about the artist making a

buck because he doesn’t give a damn about your parks. The very thing he

enjoys painting is the very thing he is prepared to destroy, all because

he wants an easier route to making money.

Neither this artist, nor any artist, is precluded from displaying and

selling their constitutionally protected expressive work in a gallery.

But, that’s probably too expensive for this guy, so he’d prefer to turn

your parks into a free gallery -- cheap rent by cheapening our parks all

at the expense of the taxpayer.

You might think that it’s rather innocuous, or perhaps even quaint to

have the romance of artists painting in our parks and selling a few

paintings. But, those romantic visions ought to give way to the reality

of American ingenuity. When many of us think of art, we think of some

paint creatively splashed on canvas. But a canvas is nothing more than a

piece of material designed to hold the paint.

What are you going to say when I open Ron’s Auto Part Art in Central

Park. Just imagine the romance of me standing there in my beret, palate

in one hand and brushes in the other, as I affectionately spread the

colors ontoo7 myf7 canvass, which just happen to be an assortment of

new radiators, batteries, tires and water pumps.

And of course, free speech isn’t confined to art. It also includes

reading and viewing material. If the court of appeal decides the issue in

this artist’s favor, I’ll have to be pretty quick setting up my area for

Ron’s Books and Videos in both Mile Square and Central parks.

The Laguna Beach artist was quoted by the Los Angeles Times as saying,

“I have nothing to lose and everything to gain.” Unfortunately, far too

many people in our communities have the same selfish attitude. He doesn’t

view his loss as protecting our traditional parks. He views making money

and the attendant destruction of our traditional parks, as his gain. And

in my humble opinion, that makes him pretty damned selfish.

I give this lawsuit a shot at surviving in the Court of Appeals about

equal to that of Van Gogh’s left ear. But, the mere existence of the

lawsuit begs us all to look at what we do in our advocacy and wonder

whether the goal is philanthropic and the advancement of some important

societal interest, or about three other things of importance -- me, me

and me. And if for some reason this guy wins, and I open up Ron’s Auto

Park Art and get accused of trying to sell auto parts disguised as art,

I’ll remind them that artists are disguising the sale of frames, canvas’

and paint as art too. I too will vow to fight -- for artists like me

everywhere.* RON DAVIS is a private attorney who lives in Huntington

Beach. He can be reached by e-mail at o7 [email protected]