Back to Spain- Part 1

España - El Primero - Darryll Schiff

         Nine years ago, I ventured out to Spain to do some soul-searching and art-admiring. During my trip, I started taking pictures on the street that brought me back to my fine art origins and veered me away from my recent commercial photography projects. I was exploring a new style which led to a new way of approaching the camera as a tool. The result was a new and exciting path for me. Because of this, I consider Barcelona and Madrid to be the catalyst to my fine art career.

España - Darryll Schiff

I don't tend to listen to music while I shoot, but looking back at this set of photos from my last Spain trip, it seems as though Miles Davis's Sketches of Spain would have made the perfect soundtrack at the time.

Sueños de España - Darryll Schiff

 My style has definitely developed since then, and will no doubt continue to evolve, but I'm excited to see what happens in the next couple weeks when I return to my "artistic roots". I will soon be back in Madrid and Barcelona, talking to galleries, visiting museums, and of course, taking more pictures.

Barcelona - Darryll Schiff

        Stay tuned for part two, where I will keep you updated with my trip. Be sure to follow me on Twitter to see what pictures I'm taking in real time @DSchiffArt !
-Darryll

Artist of the Month- October- Veronique Meignaud

It's October, and well into the gallery opening season which means we've been busy over here at DSFA. So that is a good thing, but unfortunately, we haven't had time to touch this ongoing project of ours, the DEFINEART blog. However, today I present to you our pick for October's artist of the month.

Leito

This month I'm bringing it back to the contemporary art world and delving into an area we don't often get to explore, illustration. Darryll knows how important it is to remain inspired and since we deal with a lot of photography, he's asked me to highlight someone that I find inspiring to my illustration career. So! Ladies and Gentlemen, Veronique Meignaud!

Chor'Biose
Animation project

I stumbled across this lovely illustrator/art director recently and upon visiting her website I felt as though I was instantly transported into another dimension of shapes and figures. Her focus appears to be digital illustration, but that's not why I felt like I was peering into a whole new plane of existence. The landscapes, figures, and lighting all seem to be constantly morphing and evolving, which is quite a feat considering I was looking at 2-D work. The colors she uses are prismatic and often gem-like.

Cornaline

Her work is truly unlike anything I've ever seen. The animation in the Motion section of her website feels like a natural artistic progression, taking what she does so very well in the 2-D and then actually bringing it to life in 3-D. I felt as though I was looking through a kaleidoscope that was slowly hypnotizing me, lifting my awareness to a new level. I'm so glad there are artists out there, like Veronique, who are able to temporarily enchant their viewers in order to get them to see new places and spaces in their minds. So in my mind, she is not only defining art, but also the unseen world that surrounds us.

 If you'd like to see more, please visit her website.
 If you'd like to see Veronique's talent in action, check out this neat little video on Youtube.

 -Chelsea

Artist of the Month- September- Frederick Sommer

It's time for another artist of the month, but we're taking it back in history this time around. I'd like to talk about an artist that is very important to me, that influenced me when I was a photography student. History knows him to be a man of many talents such as painting and drawing, but Frederick Sommer is most known for his photographic work. 

Figure- 1962

Born in 1905 in Italy, Frederick Sommer found his way to America and into the hearts of over 50 museums nationwide. He was, and still is, a historical staple in the world of photography. I learned about his during my time at the Institute of Design. Sommer was in Chicago to speak to art students about his work. My class, along with the head of the photography department and eventually my mentor, Arthur Siegel, made our way over to the Art Institute to listen. 

Three Musicians (Smoke on Glass)- 1962

  

Golden Apples 

At this point in my school career, I had really only learned the traditional ways to make pictures. You can follow a set of rules to become a successful photographer because that is what history shows us. However, while watching Sommer speak, I knew I was witnessing history unfold into more untraditional avenues. Sommer's rule-breaking, surreal, and innovative work influenced me so much that it changed the way I viewed photography. From that point on, I knew that my camera didn't have to hold my creative mind back. I could make it do what I wanted by forgetting my disciplines and abandoning tradition. Frederick Sommer created his own definition of art, which paved a path that I would soon follow. 

Lee Nevin- 1965

-Darryll

Artist of the Month- August- Mike Carr a.k.a China Mike

          This month I'm turning my artist-of-the-month focus to an illustrator/fine artist from Bedford, England, Mike Carr. Lately we have been loving color and movement here at the studio so I was instantly drawn to Mike's work, which not only displays the aforementioned qualities, but also shows a bit of darkness and mystery, which is a heady combination. He pulls this off quite well in his paintings, using unpredictable brush strokes, minimal landscapes, and figures in the foreground that melt into their surroundings.

             There's something joyfully disjointed about the spaces and faces we see in Mike Carr's work that reminds us of some of Darryll's pieces. Characters interact with each other and their environment in ways that allow us to borrow Mike's perception of the world. I think that is one of the most important aspects of art. It is lovely when an artist not only shows, but invites others to see the world the way they do. In Mike Carr's case, I believe it is his use of bright, friendly colors, especially the soothing blues, that is so welcoming. So take a moment to learn a bit more about this artist that we feel is doing a great job of defining art.

"Mike Carr aka- China Mike, started out in Bristol (south west England) during the mid 90's as a freelance illustrator working for record labels, fashion brands and club promoters 

After a number of years working for news shelf publications he began to develop an interest in more traditional mediums and decided to move away from the largely digital process which he had become accustomed to. China Mike the painter and fine artist was born; 'I couldn't believe I hadn't discovered painting earlier, I felt like I'd wasted a lot of time stuck in front of a computer screen doing commercial work, painting just felt so natural to me'.

Since finding his new calling he has taken his work around the globe, exhibiting in London, Berlin, Munich, Switzerland, New York, Los Angeles, along with numerous galleries up and down his native England."

                      - - - www.chinamike.co.uk

Images courtesy of Mike Carr a.k.a. China Mike

-Chelsea

Artist of the Month- July- Zoe Keating

                               

This month's artist is a musician. I was trying to think of an artist that inspires both Darryll and I, not just in our artwork but also when we're working in the studio. We are always listening to music in the studio and sharing with each other musical artists that we dig.

One day I showed up to work and Darryll had burned two CDs for me. One was Feist's latest album and the other was Zoe Keating, an artist I hadn't heard of before. All he explained to me was that she plays the cello and that it's kind of different but I might like it. Done! I put the CD in my car on the way home and instantly was transported to somewhere new. The sound coming from my speakers was intricate, dramatic, and soothing. I knew right away that this would not be kept in the CD graveyard within my car instead would make it to my laptop's music library to be listened to while I work.

I think what I love most about Zoe's music is that my mind can wander within it. I'm not distracted by words and choruses, but instead lulled into a space where I can create and think alongside her music. I also think that Darryll likes her music for similar reasons but mostly because her music is so layered. She plays with just her cello and laptop, which she uses to record samples as she plays, and layers them on top of each other. If you take a look at Darryll's photography, he is using a similar technique. They both have a sense of controlled chaos in their work, that evolves and expands as you begin to notice the small details that make up the bigger picture.

Give her music a listen and see what you find within it, and within yourself!


-Chelsea

Three Years in the Art World…and Counting.

How does an Illustrator come to work with Darryll Schiff, the fine art photographer? During my career at Columbia College Chicago, I didn't know what direction my art career was heading. I thought that I'd get a low paying (ahem, unpaid) internship at some design firm until I gathered enough experience to deem me fit for some low rung position until I worked my way up the ladder. Not really the idea I had in my head of a free-sprited artist, living on her own terms. Thankfully, I constantly reminded myself that the art world can be blissfully serendipitous…you just have to keep your eyes open. Never did I think that I'd meet my future employer whilst working at a coffee shop. This was the kind of cafe where people were in and out, without even looking up. However, "artist types"…we tend to find each other. Darryll was a regular customer at the cafe who actually paid attention. He knew immediately that I was an artist because of my visible tattoos and called me out on it. We chatted about his work and mine, and eventually he then shared with me a book, called Seven Days in the Art World by Sarah Thornton. I look at that book now as sort of a symbol of our working relationship, as I would soon be thrown into the art world, trying to figure out how to thrive.

                           


Darryll mentioned that he could use some more help around his studio and although I was apparently content to be a barista for the rest of my life, I decided to leave that job and hop into the unknown, just because I made a promise to myself to take every opportunity that came my way. So, Darryll took me on as an employee. He needed help with various tasks around the studio and understandably so since his pieces are larger than life.  As he entrusted me with more responsibility, I gained confidence and we began to vibe off each other's creativity. I learned from this that it's important for artists to find each other and stick together. Although Darryll has about 30 more years of experience than I do and our artistic disciplines are very different, we often find common ground because we are both navigating this hectic and, quite honestly, counter-intuitive, art world. I've found that it's important not to work in a vacuum. Sometimes you need someone to bounce ideas off of in order to remain confident in your work. Darryll is, and always will be creating, but I like to think that we inspire each other to keep at it. I never thought that I would have the opportunity to drive to the West Loop several times a week and work in an artist's studio and, most of all, be even just a small part of his success. As I watch Darryll's art business grow, I feel more and more fulfilled and glad that I listened to my inner voice, that constantly urges me to surround myself with good people and do what I love.

-Chelsea

                                  2010

                                 2011

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