The above Photograph is part of Darryll's Schiff's Descending to Heaven Series: The Parade Commences
It was only a few years ago that Darryll
left the life of commercial and celebrity assignments on the west coast and
chose the field of fine art photography. Now residing in his hometown of Chicago,
his art is in the permanent collections of such renowned institutions such as the
Metropolitan Museum of Art in New
York, The Art Institute of Chicago, The Museum of Contemporary
Art Chicago, The George Eastman House, The Norton Simon Museum
Pasadena, and The Museum of Contemporary
Photography, as well as in many private collections.
As you can see from these selections, his art draws you in and does not want to let you go. You seek more, looking at the action, the blaze of colors, questioning yourself as well as the art itself. How is it that such fine movement and intriguing sound can emanate from these works of art...they do!
Please enjoy my conversation with Darryll below.
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| Chicago Loop 4 |
Where do you find the inspiration for your works of art?
Many things inspire me and thus I am fortunate that I never seem to be at a loss for ideas. However, there are themes that seem to recur in my artwork, reflections of modern life, especially in these fast paced times and how this affects peoples’ interactions, our “dance” through life, and perceptions versus reality; something a camera is particularly suited to capture.
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| Chicago's Magnificent Mile |
How did you make the decision to
work in large-scale format?
I
do also make prints that are more of a “normal” size, but working large is a combination of what I feel is necessary for
my pictures to effectively communicate my
ideas, as well as what has become almost the norm for true fine art photography
that competes with other art
forms, such as painting, fine art video, and sculpture. Going
hand in hand with this is having small, limited editions of each work. Depending
on the piece, I will only produce 3-12
prints, no more.
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| Evanescence |
Tell us a bit about the process
that brings your fine art photography to life. The movement in them is so
intriguing.
This movement you see gets back
to how I want to reflect the times we live in.
But as
far as my process goes, it is something that has evolved. I would say
necessarily evolved,
as I have grown as an artist. I started
going to art classes when I was 10 years
old, at the Art Institute of Chicago, and my mother and one of my sisters are accomplished
artists, so from early on I have had an amazing background in fine art.
Almost
from the start of my photography education and career, I approached the camera
as a tool, as more of a paintbrush, rather than being so concerned about things such as having the newest
gear, the absolute sharpest lenses, etc.
While to a certain degree that might be
important, those are just technical things, rather than technique
and vision, which are important components of art.
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| Dia del Suenos |
Who are the other artists with whom you have found insight or encouragement from- either from them or their works?
For artists, I have to start with
Arthur Siegel, who was head of the Photography program
when I was at college at the Institute of Design, at the Illinois Institute of Technology. (I note the Institute of Design was started as the New Bauhaus by Maholy Nagy,
from the original Bauhaus in Germany).
Arthur was a very serious, a bit cantankerous,
and a no-nonsense, fantastic educator.
Many students were somewhat
put off by his personality, but there was a great rapport between us. He
taught me, among other things, that I must strive for perfection, both technically
and artistically. My mother and sister
also showed me the dedication an
artist needs.
There
are so many other artists whose work influence me... but I will name a few: Frederick
Sommer, Alfred Steiglitz, Cartier Bresson; classical artists like Rubens, Goya, Titian; and modern artists
from Picasso to De Kooning to Pollock.
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| Red V |
Do you have any upcoming shows
scheduled and where can our readers view your fine art photography?
We
are trying to be very selective about the shows my work appear in. After a very successful
Photo L.A. earlier this year I decided I needed a “team” to work with me to
help and take over a lot of these types of things. The most important way for me to
use my time is to be working on my art.
I added a new assistant and am also working with Paula Winke, a marketing and public relations consultant. I am fortunate
to be working with great people.
I sell a a great deal of my art to private collectors. I also consult with interior designers and architects to source my fine art photography on luxury residential and commercial projects. Beyond that we are reaching out to corporate art consultants and international galleries to explore exhibitions for the future.
The
best way to see art is to see it in person.
My work is, among other places, in the collections
of the Metropolitan Museum of Art New
York, the Art Institute of Chicago,
the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the Norton Simon Museum, The Pasadena, and George Eastman House
in Rochester N.Y. If you or your readers
get to
Chicago, please email me. I schedule
regular studio visits, by appointment.
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| Darryll Schiff |
Finally, Darryll, What words of wisdom do you have
for the aspiring artist of any age?
To be successful at something,
regardless of how much talent you have, it takes a lot of
hard work and reaching very high levels of technical skill before you can
really use
that in your own special way. Do not
underestimate the value of knowing art (and
photography) history.
Picasso was a
wonderful example of this. If you see
his early works you will understand how great a technician he was and how skilled of an artist he was. He would not have able to achieve what he did
with Cubism
without that.
Thank you so much Darryll for your insightful thoughts for our readers to enjoy.
Darryll's website of his fine art can be found at Darryll Schiff Fine Art http://www.schiff-art.com/. It really captured my attention and will yours!
Read Darryll's fascinating Blog, DEFINEART to hear and see his latest works and ventures.
Much thanks goes to Paula Winke, marketing and public relations
consultant, who made the introduction. Paula is based in Kansas City; however her work
with clients takes her throughout North America and abroad.
Thank you to my Friends and Followers who support the Arts!
xoxo
Karena
The Arts by Karena
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