Spain- "Sketches of Spain"- Part 4

© Darryll Schiff

After "singing" the praises of Spain and how enchanted I am with the people and the country, I thought it would be time to more directly relate this last trip to my art and photography.  I have talked about the museums, galleries, and the wonderful Eloisa at Art Gallery Tour but now I want to talk a bit about my own art and what comes into play when I travel and shoot.

© Darryll Schiff

It used to be that any time I knew I would be somewhere making pictures, I would pack my latest heavy duty professional Nikon and lenses. I have been shooting exclusively digitally now for over eight years which means I don't have to deal with carrying around rolls and rolls of film, trips back and forth to the lab, worrying  about airport x-ray machines, etc. I don't miss it at all.

© Darryll Schiff

© Darryll Schiff

Now, besides my latest digital Nikon, a D800, I also extensively use one of my older Nikon P6000's, sort of a pro/am point and shoot, and.......my iPhone, of course. The pictures in this blog come from a mix of these cameras, and even my Nikon D300, and older camera that I still use. All the pictures were taken in Spain and are a mix of serious and fun shots - you have to keep the fun and excitement in it.

 

© Darryll Schiff

 

 © Darryll Schiff

© Darryll Schiff

I used my iPhone a lot more than expected, mainly for the touristy snapshots, but if you take time to really compose and time your shots right, the results can be amazing. Also, it's a great little device to do quick "sketch" shots, the way a painter might take a pencil to paper to map out their final image. The following is a shot from my iPhone that I treated as a type of "sketch":

© Darryll Schiff

The funny thing about my P6000s is how the way I use them has evolved.  Originally, when I 

bought my first one, it was going to be my "sketch pad", something I could have with me all the

time, to capture ideas, play around with, and get the occasional serious picture with. As I used the

camera more and more, I found ways to take advantage of a couple of its features that fit right into what I see (examples below). I now have four of them!

© Darryll Schiff

© Darryll Schiff

© Darryll Schiff

Although I print my work in all sizes, most of it is big--40x60, 58x88, even as large as 75x177. The D800 (Nikon's newest version is the D810) is the camera I use for those huge pieces. As I work on my pictures from this trip, I get really excited. I'm sure those big images will be hanging in my studio very soon.

-Darryll

Spain- Art, Food, and People- Part 2

  There's something about Spain, well actually lots of things about

  Spain, that make it irresistible to me.  This was my third trip there in the

  the last nine years.  I was gone for twelve days but could have easily stayed

  another twelve if I had the time.

 Three years ago I visited Madrid, Granada, and Sevilla.  This year, my trip was again
 to Madrid (how could I go to Spain and not re-visit the Prado?!) then on to Barcelona and Valencia.

 There are three basic things that make Spain great - the art, the food, and the

 people. In Madrid alone there are three major world class museums, the Prado,

 the Thyssen, and the Sofia Reina. The Prado by itself, containing El Greco, Velasquez,

 Reubens, Goya and more, is amazing. In the other two museums there are even
more masterpieces to be found, including Picasso's Guernica at the Sofia Reina.

Picasso-Guernica, Reina Sofia Museum, Madrid

Goya, Prado, Madrid

Reubens, Prado, Madrid

Barcelona has Gaudi, the Picasso and Miro museums, and more.  Valencia is smaller,

and I was unfortunately only there two days, but there is a lot to explore. On top of

Spain's legendary art museums, there is a multitude of wonderful art galleries, which I will cover in a future blog.

Food. Generally I appreciate fine food but never think about it much, although I remember

from my previous trip that almost anywhere we went, whether it was a local small place or

a fancy restaurant, everything was great. This time around, I was even more impressed.
Seasoned traveler and food critic, Anthony Bourdain, has raved about the food there and
once said that the best young chefs in the world are in Spain.

 

 

My girlfriend and I ate in the wonderful markets, or mercados, as well as small "local" restaurants, hip to traditional tapas places, top notch restaurants, and even a newer "cool" pizza restaurant "la mucca".

In the end, we had a large range of foodie experiences and just about everything was fantastic.

 

Lastly, the people. Madrid and Barcelona, the two biggest cities, can be a lot of hustle and bustle, but

I still remember nine years ago, when I could barely speak a word of Spanish, we were going out

to dinner in Madrid and got completely lost. I stopped an older man in the street to ask him for

help. All I could do was point to an address and gesture that we didn't know where we were.

He ended up walking with us, a mile out of his way, right to the front door of the place.  Is everyone

like that? Probably not... but I have a feeling the generally warm and friendly Spanish disposition has something to do with constantly being surrounded by beautiful art and delicious food...and I supposed the traditional mid-day siestas don't hurt either.

Flamenco Dancer

So if you ever have a chance to get out to Madrid or any of the places mentioned above, definitely take advantage of that opportunity! More to come soon about the galleries we visited in Part Three...stay tuned!

-Darryll

Ellen Jantzen- Artist of the Month- May

This month we have selected a photographer by the name of Ellen Jantzen. When looking at her website, it's clear that she has a deep connection with nature. Nature is raw, it is our home and our sanctuary, so we as humans are drawn to it. However, these are not your average landscape photographs, there is something much deeper here than a simple appreciation for nature.

Whetting the Waters - Ellen Jantzen

Her most recent series, Disturbing the Spirits, feels like a dream...one where your mind lands you in the middle of some remote, natural territory and no matter how hard you try to blink your surroundings into clarity, there's still bits that are in flux.

Alameda- Ellen Jantzen

This work feels melancholy and bittersweet, as if someone or something you love is fading away right in front of you and you become lost. Ellen achieves these complex emotions through her thoughtful and deliberate photo manipulation.

Promise of Spring - Ellen Jantzen

I have heard Darryll mention many times that when he manipulates the camera while taking photos there isn't a single movement that is arbitrary. It is clear to me that Ellen is making the same kind of choices, in order to get the final image to really say what she wants it to. Each picture feels like it has a different message, yet speaks to her bigger message in some way. Read part of her statement below:

"In 'Disturbing the Spirits' I am using imagery to convey my feelings about the state of nature, the nature of trees, and how to express their connection to past, present and future. By obscuring a portion of the image through a veil, I strive to heighten the remaining reality through discovery and reflection."

Threshold- Ellen Jantzen

Ellen takes in her surroundings, captures them, and injects her unique vision into them. It is this kind of delicate process that allows an artist to not only define their work, but also themselves.

Please be sure to check out the rest of Ellen's work on her website: www.ellenjantzen.com
Her work can be found at these galleries currently representing her:

The Susan Spiritus Gallery in Newport Beach CA: http://susanspiritusgallery.com/

The Bruno David Gallery in St. Louis MO: http://www.brunodavidgallery.com

-Chelsea

Artnois Magazine Featuring Darryll Schiff

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share some exciting news with you!

Issue #10 of art and music e-magazine, Artnois, is out and I am one of the six featured artists. Artnois is a budding, yet prominent, online magazine that seeks out today's rising artists coming out of L.A. and beyond, and I'm honored to be part of their selection.

They gave me a 6-page spread filled with select pieces of mine and an interview that
covers everything from my artistic process to the music I'm listening to today.

Sneak peek of my feature. 

You can find my interview in the reader above from pages 24-29, or hop to this link to go straight to my feature.

This was a fun process for me to be involved in and I hope you enjoy the results.

-Darryll

Shae DeTar- Artist of the Month- April

This month I want to focus on the photography of Shae DeTar, specifically her painted photography. This series is just as it sounds, photography that has been painted on. I feel like many have attempted this with varying results, but the result of Shae's blending of these two mediums is original, seamless, and exquisite.

Shae DeTar

What Ms. DeTar has done with the application of paint on the images creates a product that appears to be timeless. So timeless, in fact, that the result is reminiscent of a time before color photography was even an option and people just colorized their black and white photographs after developing them. Shae uses a watercolor-like wash in most of the images but with that there are pops of more deliberate shapes and vivid colors.

Shae DeTar

The above image is one that stands out in my mind when I think about this series. This is because I'm reminded of a short video I saw once upon a time while researching early film experiments. In 1900, the Lumiere Brothers produced The Serpentine Dance, which is a hand-colored film of dancers who use the dresses they're wearing as tools to create the illusion of dancing butterflies. It's a mesmerizing video to begin with, because of the dancers' fluid movements, but with the evolving color added in post it becomes quite hypnotic. In this particular photograph, Shae's use of a muted color palette and the brushstrokes around the figures "wings" gives a sense of movement, allowing me to visualize the model dancing around like the Serpentine Ladies.

 

Shae DeTar

Shae DeTar

I find Shae's painted photographs to be inspiring and multifaceted. They appear to be very well thought out, from head to toe, from pre-production to post-production. This is something that Darryll especially appreciates because he knows how much time and effort it takes to see your vision through to the end. It's a way of thinking and creating that is deliberate and thorough. Beyond this, Shae is merging paint with photography, fashion with nature, and the past with the present. Her success in tying all these elements together is why we think she is defining art.
 

Thanks for reading and be sure to check out more of Shae's work at www.shaedetar.com

-Chelsea

Monthly Roundup of Links- April

Because we've been so busy at the studio lately, our weekly round-ups will now be monthly.  This month in the world of art and design, I bring to you these little nuggets of interest:

Charles Emerson's photos of flowers underwater are striking and fresh.

This 360˚ panoramic GoPro video is unreal and extremely innovative.

Jonas Ginter

Finding Vivian Maier is a documentary film that uncovers the truth about a mysterious nanny who, unbeknownst to everyone around her, captured beautiful street images her whole life, only to be discovered after her death.

These photos aren't totally a new concept but these are by far the best execution I've seen of re-creating classical paintings in photography.

Bill Gekas

Bing Wright's mesmerizing photos of sunsets projected on a broken mirror is like a beautiful watercolor, interrupted by dark chaos.

There's something so aggravatingly beautiful about a simple+clean design...for example, these counter weighted candle holders.

twocreate.co.uk

So that is what tickled me this month! See you next time.

Kyle Thompson- Artist of the Month - March

After delving into the work of Chicago-born photographer Kyle Thompson (our March Artist of the Month), I've identified three main themes that are delicately strung throughout his imagery. Isolation, hope, and serenity. Some images feature only one of these themes, some images nail all three, but any given image of his is able to stand alone and still be powerful.

This particular image catches my eye, for obvious reasons, but reading further into it, it displays one of those main themes I mentioned, which is Hope:

Carcass (2012)

The hands are reaching up towards something but they are more welcoming than strained. In other images we see a light in the distance, signifying some kind of salvation or clarity.

It may not be obvious at first, but when I look at the next image, I find it delivers a strong sense of Serenity:

Untitled (2012)

The Isolated figure is shrouded and appears to be helplessly hanging high above ground but certain clues tell me that the figure is perhaps not hanging, but jumping/levitating. His toes are pointed, his spine is curved forward, his arms are relaxed, and the fabric is not taut. The idea that he might actually be in control of this situation, along with the billowing white fabric and blue/green hued background, is definitely giving me a sense of Serenity.

Here is an image that displays the final of the main themes I've translated from the body of Kyle's work…Isolation:

Untitled (2013)

She appears to be stranded, which I take from her lack of belongings (even lack of shoes). But there's that Hope in the distance, in the form of a foggy, shadowy building that almost looks like a castle. And just round it off, there's also a sense of Serenity with the calm beach, muted color scheme, and the relaxed stance of the figure. An image that captures all three themes.

I believe this "theme threading", let's call it, is such an important thing to deliver as an artist because once you have successfully created your own brand, or "look", people will be able to recognize your work immediately, even if they have never seen that particular piece before. It is something that Darryll has established in his career, with the common thread being society+technology and its effects on our perception. I believe Kyle Thompson has achieved this as well and is giving us another way to define art.

Descending to Heaven Photo Book

Recently, we've been very busy at the DSFA studio with Darryll's newest series, Descending to Heaven. One of our tasks was to publish a large-format (in true Darryll Schiff form) photo book with select images from the series. We finally have a finished book and are ready to share it with the world.

 It is a 42-page, 12"x12", lay-flat, full-color, and might I say, gorgeous book. As well as pictures, we have included two pages filled with kind, creative, and generous words about the series from noted art critic, Michael Zehn.

"The Parade Commences"

"Optimism"

Creating a series-specific photo book is something we've done with a past series of Darryll's, El Lago, and will continue to do for future series. Books like these are important to the series as a whole for many reasons. Of course, it is a great way to promote the series. The actual prints are so large and it helps for potential buyers to see them smaller and closer together to get a better sense of the flow of the series. (see actual scale below).

Chelsea with a proof from the series. 

The book is also meant to be a limited-edition collectible to represent the series or to accompany a purchased Descending to Heaven print. Additionally, we carefully mapped out the flow of the series in this book and therefore, it serves as a great reference for us at the studio when putting together a show.

The index section of the book.

This book is truly one of a kind in the world of traditional photo books and printed at the highest quality, which is very representative of Darryll's work as a whole. To learn more about these limited-edition books, of which we only have a handful left, please e-mail me at chelsea@schiff-art.com.

Weekly Round-up of Links- 3/3/14

Here's a small set of links to preoccupy your mind and spark your creativity!


Here is an insightful guide to follow when designing logos/brands, or anytime you find yourself using color!

If you're in the Chicago area, go see the Edward Gorey exhibit at LUMA. Angela, the docent, will spill all the strange and surprising details about this man's life and work and it is truly enthralling.

"B is for Basil" - Edward Gorey

Anila Quayyum Agha has created an intricate cube lamp that casts its design on the walls surrounding it. This shadow and light art installation is becoming more and more popular it seems and will probably (hopefully!) soon leak into the interior design world.

Photo Cred: https://anilaagha.see.me/yearinreview2013

This little book by about creating and sharing your work is simple and so, so logical. Sometimes we just need people like Austin Kleon to break it down for us!

LACMA has started a live read series where notable actors/actresses gather to do an unrehearsed table read of a classic movie script of Jason Reitman's choosing. The last script was Pulp Fiction featuring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogan (!!).

Weekly Round Up- 1/9

Here's my first list of links for the new year! Hope everyone is planning ways to make the most of their year.
 
TIME Magazine chose David Guttenfelder as their Instagram photographer of the year for his ability to capture images of North Korea in a totally new way. Check out his Instagram feed here.

I've been hearing about people using this frigid weather to do fun things like blow bubbles and watch them freeze. This photographer and her son decided to capture this experiment and the result is gorgeous.

Photo by Angela Kelly

Here's an excellent, motivational article about working from home and how to make it work for you.

Check out these incredible dissected photographs by Michael Mapes.

A close up view of the dissections

Here's a list compiling Huffington Post's most breathtaking photos from around the world from 2013. My favorite is #12!

Thinking warm thoughts! Hope you are too.

Chelsea

Photo L.A. Madness

The Photo L.A. art fair has been in existence for over twenty years, with 2014's January show being it's 23rd year. Co-producers Claudia James Bartlett and Wayne Fernandez took the reigns of Photo L.A.'s management last year. This prestigious fair has done a wonderful job in growing the appreciation and collection of photography in the L.A. area, and beyond. This year, held in the L.A. Mart (think Merchandise Mart), the 60,000 square foot exhibition hall will provide a temporary home for exhibitors and a creative hive for collectors to share, impress, and admire for three days. 

The L.A. Mart, DSFA's home for three days.

We were invited to exhibit at Photo L.A. this coming January and we are beyond excited and certainly anxious. So do forgive us for being absent on DEFINEART as of late. We are working as frantically as Santa's elves to get arrangements in order for our art fair debut. Between printing Darryll's notoriously enormous pieces, corresponding between framers, and making arrangements for shipping and travel, we are feeling a bit crazy! However, one of the thoughts that keeps driving us (besides potentially running into Brad and Angelina) is the warmth! Chicago winters make all this work seem so much more difficult so it so once we hit the L.A. sun, we will feel immediately rewarded.

Part of Darryll's Descending to Heaven series.

I will be sure to give you all the details about our impression of the fair when we get back!

-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