Artist of the Month- January/February- Alex McLeod

Because it is now February and we missed January's artist of the month due to Photo L.A. madness, I wanted to change gears and bring something really different under our spotlight to start off the new year. This artist is doing something so unique and fascinating, I find it hard to put into words how it makes me feel. This artist belongs in their own category of art-making; he is BOLDLY defining art and that is why I present to you, Alex McLeod.

Alex McLeod

When I first saw these images, I envisioned the artist meticulously creating miniatures and then placing each detail by hand into a 3D landscape and then photographing the finished product under the appropriate lighting. All of this is true, but what makes this exceptionally intriguing is that it is all done within the computer. There is no photography involved. These are fully digitally rendered images that McLeod is creating.

Immediately, my mind begins to journey through the landscapes and drink them up. They are so lush, elaborate, and inviting. Something I noticed shortly after is that there aren't characters in these images. This lack of people or animals becomes eerie, a feeling which is enhanced by the fact that these are such joyful and fantastical environments. So where are all the people?

Alex McLeod

This question allows me to begin to picture the kind of wacky characters that would exist in these environments and the kind of stories they would tell. They have a similar effect of matte paintings, that were once used in film making to provide an environment that, pre-3D rendering technology, would have been very difficult to build by hand. Now, they are done digitally and generally used for the same purpose, or for pre-visualization in movies, video games, etc.

Digital matte painting

I also begin to think of the I Spy books I read as a kid. Within the books, each page opened up to a new landscape, filled to the brim with objects you were meant to search for and identify. Again, when these books were first made, they weren't using 3D modeling software. They were building miniature sets, the way I originally thought McLeod was creating his images. 

Walter Wick creating a miniature set for an I Spy book.

This is so impressive to me because beyond the fact that McLeod is imagining up these whimsical, colorful spaces that I have never seen the likes of, he is rendering them in such a way that allows us to believe that these "sets" physically exist behind a camera somewhere.

Alex McLeod

In McLeod's art, all is not really what it appears to be. His technique is complicated, I'm sure, and something that no other artist will likely be able to imitate. In a way, Darryll has a similar approach to his art. He's making images that one may look at and try to identify the technique. In the end, what he's doing is a lot more complicated than meets the eye. I think Alex McLeod is able to say the same thing. In this way, he's blazing a trail and defining his own brand of art.


To see more of Alex's work, please visit his website here.


-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 

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

Next Week- Photo L.A.

Just doing some last minute things before we jet off to L.A. next week! If you'll be in town, be sure to check us out at booth 714. Darryll will have 15 of his pieces, most from his newest series, Descending to Heaven (pictured). We can't wait to get the booth all set up so we can ride out the rest of the fair!

-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

Weekly Round Up- 12/9

Hello readers! I'm here to bring you another edition of our weekly round-up. Hope everyone is staying warm and cozy.



The 5x5 trick is an extremely logical, yet subtle way to improve your day to day life based on the things/people you surround yourself with.

The process of this portrait series is *almost* as interesting as the product itself.

My favorite from the series.

Andrew Lyman creates and captures spirit-like figures in this gorgeous photo series.

Food photographers get to play with food for a living…lucky! Check out these drool-inducing images.

Spanish artist, Javier Lloret, turned an entire building into a Rubik's Cube…and you can play it! Bringing back the 80's in a HUGE way.

The game is made even more difficult by the fact that players can't see the other side of the building.

Do you have one of those friends that is weirdly obsessed with typography? Here's some gift ideas they're sure to love/critique.


That concludes the round-up for this week! I don't know about where you guys are, but it's super snowy and blustery here in Chicago (surprise, surprise), so be careful out there!

-Chelsea

Artist of the Month- December- Arthur Siegel

This month we are going to touch on the beginnings of Darryll's career and the man who sparked his interest in photography, Arthur Siegel. Arthur is our December choice, not necessarily for his excellent work, but for his influential teaching style and the lasting impact it has had on Darryll and many more of his students at the Institute of Design. Since there's a lot of ground to cover here, I decided to sit down with Darryll and ask him some questions about his experience with Siegel.

Arthur Siegel

Chelsea: Can you give us some background on the Institute of Design and how you met Arthur Siegel?

Darryll: Even though I was a graphic design student, I was required to study photography, and the head of that department was Arthur Siegel. The school's curriculum was based on the teachings of Bauhaus, which called for a strong classical foundation in photography and an equivalent emphasis on experimentation.

An image created by Darryll while under the guidance of Arthur.

C: What can you say about him as a teacher?

D: Arthur was an irascible person but at the same time, very concerned with the quality of his students' work. He didn't hesitate to let you know if there was something wrong with your pictures and was extremely blunt with his delivery. Consequently, he could and did rub many students the wrong way, but I believe this was a misinterpretation of his goals for his students. I'm not sure why, but I never had a problem getting along with Arthur, and vice versa. Maybe he recognized the extent of my seriousness about photography and my recognition of how right he could be the vast majority of the time. It was just his nature and if you accepted it, it really was to your benefit.

"Arthur" by Darryll Schiff

C: Was it his teaching style that continues to inspire you today, or are you more influenced by his photographic work?

D: Before I started at the Institute of Design, I hadn't heard of Arthur Siegel, even though he'd had a long and successful career. It was his passion and his demand for excellence that has had the biggest impact on my work.

C: So he was kind of like your mentor.

D: He was definitely my mentor.

"Lesley Moon"- an early work by Darryll

After discussing Arthur, we decided to scroll through some of his photographic work to include on the blog. As we came across Arthur's more motion-heavy studies, I could sense Darryll's intrigue and amusement. He had never seen these pieces before.

A piece from Darryll's "Evanescence" series. 

An untitled motion study from Arthur.

We both immediately understood that the similarities between these specific studies and some of Darryll's recent pieces was no coincidence. It seemed to me that Arthur must have instilled in Darryll the same experimental approach he took in his own career. To this day, when Darryll works, he draws from that place in his brain where Arthur's voice and reason still exists.

-Chelsea