Spotlight - Desiree Agngarayngay - Our Crew, #1

Today I want to mention a friend of ours here at the studio that has worked with us in the past. Desiree Agngarayngay (five times fast) has played a huge role in our promotional endeavors. Our problem: huge art pieces that need to be seen in person to be believed. Her solution: videography.

Desiree, or as we like to call her, Desi, got together with us to discuss our game plan. How are we going to do justice to Darryll's work? How will we make people want to come see it for themselves? The plan was simple… act natural. Desi took matters into her own hands and did her magic. We filmed on a day that a couple of art collectors were to come by and look at his work. We moved around in our environment the way we normally do and it seemed like any other day. In the end, what Desi came up with blew our minds. She took something so simple and turned it into a tribute to Darryll's hard work, a peek into what we do here at the studio. We loved the video so much that for awhile it was the first thing you saw when visiting Darryll's website. We have since swapped it for a newer one. You can watch the original here:

Of course we couldn't stop there. Desiree had proven herself to be quite a talent, fresh out of Columbia College Chicago. We work with her to this day as she is very precious to us. Any time we have a task to accomplish that a mere photograph or bunch of words can't cover, we call Desi. She's got the camera skills and the editing expertise to put together a solid video that does Darryll's work justice. To see more of her work, visit her Vimeo, or Darryll's Vimeo. Also, she has a brilliant website that covers her work and others (look out for her piece on Darryll!) and you can view that here.

So thanks for taking the time to check out someone that we feel is helping US to define art.

-Chelsea

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

Studio Update- Art in Public Spaces

Hi all,

         I just wanted to take a moment to discuss an exciting project I've been working on for quite some time now that's just been completed. Recently I became connected with an amazing art advisor, Patti Gilford. She helps to acquire art for private homes, and for designers and architects who are looking to build creative, inspiring, and soothing environments. Patti explained to me that she was looking to obtain pieces for a shared space on the 12th floor of a new hi-rise residency on Lake Shore Drive. This specific space is pretty open and needed a nice flow and a central focus. She had seen the work on my website and thought I'd be a good fit for this project. Immediately, Chelsea and I started looking through my body of work, which is no small feat. We narrowed the our sample images down to pieces that contained people, moving across a landscape. Below is an image of the two pictures that Patti chose, in their final destination.

                                  

          It was fun for Chelsea and I to be a part of this building's design process. I think it's important for people to be surrounded by art in their living spaces. The places we call home are our sanctuaries, where we can unwind, reflect, and recharge. Sometimes we need aid in doing so and art can play a major part in this process. My pictures were placed in an open space where people pass by to get to the main amenities of the building such as a gym, pool, party rooms, and computer labs; places meant to make you feel at home. The space needed images that would make an impact on its inhabitants, which is why they were printed so large, as most of my pieces are. My hope is that my work has become a staple of this shared space, that people pass by it with intrigue and comfort. I have included an image of another piece of work, a panorama, that is intended to make a similar impact. 

           Larger than life-sized images like these are the reason why I think studio visits are so important. We love showing work to visitors here at the studio. If you are interested in a studio visit, please contact either me or my assistant Chelsea at the following e-mails:

darryll@schiff-art.com

chelsea@schiff-art.com

Also, check out Patti's website at www.pattigilford.com to see what her and her excellent firm are all about. 

-Darryll