Sarah Lukes- Artist of the Month- June

From the series, "Head Case".

Sarah Lukes is a photographer and collage artist from California and our pick for this month's featured artist. Her website, Beautiful Yourself, is loaded with all kinds of unique creations, threaded together with the ribbon that is Sarah's personal style. It is a style that is playful, cosmic and, with the combination of vintage imagery and modern adornments, timeless.

From the series, "Up Above the World So High".

Sarah mixes seemingly random elements together to create something unexpected, yet in the end the composition is whole and complete. She has an eye for textures and details, which she delicately pieces together in a manner that is often imperfectly perfect. Sometimes, it's the imperfections that really make the art. This is a strategy that Darryll uses in his photos while viewing the images on the computer. He will leave alone the bits that maybe any other artist would Photoshop out of their photo. I think these kind of decisions that Sarah and Darryll are making with their art has really helped to distinguish themselves from other artists perhaps doing similar work.

From the series, "Up Above the World So High".

 In a lot of the images, we see a strip of text, balancing out the entire composition. This gives each piece a touch of a meaning, yet still leaving a bit of intrigue, not giving her vision away all at once. The viewer is free to interpret and contemplate.

From the series, "Plastered Polaroids".

We get to see a piece of Sarah in each of her works of art but are left wanting more. It's this kind of subtle mystery, combined with her distinctive style, that helps to define Sarah Lukes as an artist and allows her to project her own brand of art into the universe.

Feast your eyes on loads more work at Sarah's website and enjoy!

Also, be sure to stay tuned for a future blog covering Darryll's trip to Spain!

- Chelsea

From Sunshine to Snow- Home from Photo L.A!

As you all may know, DSFA made a trip out to Los Angeles recently to be a part of Photo L.A. Darryll was to be the feature artist of En Foco Gallery's booth. We used this great opportunity to preview Darryll's latest series, Descending to Heaven, as well as display some of his biggest "hits".  Fortunately for our frozen Chicago hearts, the weather in L.A. was unseasonably warm with temperatures in the high 80's all week long. We stayed near the L.A. Mart, where the fair took place, in the Miyako Hotel in Little Tokyo. We had a lovely stay, and an even greater time during the fair hours. 

The view walking towards booth 714…our booth!

Part of the new Descending to Heaven series.

The first night was a special VIP preview where the city's biggest names in art came to enjoy food, drinks, a live DJ, and of course, an exclusive look at the art. It was a lively and exciting night and I may have been a little more than excited about the fact that Elle Fanning and Moby were present that evening. By the end of the night, we felt overjoyed with the reception that Darryll's work received. It truly set the tone for the rest of the week. 

Enjoying the view.

Friday through Sunday were regular fair hours, open to the public. Each morning Darryll, his sister Lesley, and myself would get there a tad bit early to walk around and get our own look at the multitudes of work tucked within booth after booth. Overall, we were thoroughly impressed with the collective talent of the artists being represented at their individual booths. There were galleries from all over the world and various parts of the U.S. The attendees were also a very diverse bunch. We met all kinds of people from all over the world with different stories to tell. 

Chatting with a man about Darryll's work.

The responses that Darryll's work received seemed to come from an inspired place in people's hearts. Aspiring photographers felt recharged and motivated by his work and long-time art lovers admitted they hadn't seen anything quite like these images before. However, I think the best responses were not the verbal, but the physical ones; jaws dropping, fingers pointing, and faces smiling.  We didn't know what to expect going into this event but left feeling fulfilled and successful. We are so grateful to have gotten the opportunity to be a part of this event and hope to be there next year!

--Chelsea 

Artist of the Month- November- Jesca Hoop

Jesca's latest album art

This month we wanted to bring you another musical artist that we all enjoy here at the studio. I heard about her through Darryll, who heard about her through his daughter, Lauren. She is singer/songwriter, Jesca Hoop. When introducing others to music that I enjoy, I'm likely to try to compare them to other artists. However, I find it next to impossible to make such comparisons in this case. She has a truly unique sound that is haunting, yet sweet. Her voice complements the ethereal music in the background, creating a chorus of sounds that you're likely to hear deep within a mystical forest. We openly welcome Hoop's surreal sound to burrow into our creative hearts, to grab at everything melancholy and bittersweet, and to let those feelings surface.

Darryll's signed copy of Hoop's Phonograph

For her more upbeat songs, the sound is less dark and more childlike and playful, which creates a nice balance. So, for a great example of all that her music has to offer, check out the music player below. Jesca Hoop is truly one of a kind and her newest album, The House That Jack Built, only further proves that she is continuing to do her own thing and defining her own art.