GREGORY SIFF SHOOT WITH STEVE SHAW
STEVE SHAW and GREGORY SIFF
There are few things in life more satisfying than bearing witness to an artist coming into theirown, earning the type of validating recognition many toil a lifetime in vain for. Right now, no one deserves this oft-evasive rite of passage more than the unwavering Gregory Siff. Struggling to find his passion amidst dying dreams and defeat, a relentless drive and focus propelled him into the spotlight, where he has finally found a home. With a solid body of new work emerging from his downtown Los Angeles studio, this 36-year-old powerhouse proves without questionthat he is indeed destined for greatness.
The successful transition from street artist to fine artist is reserved for a select few capable of transcending the perceived limitations of the former, as well as the daunting barrier to entry of the latter. Those who master this difficult evolution must possess the ability to stand out and persevere, secure a name for themselves in a way that no one else can. It takes dedication, dogged work, an ironclad commitment to a creative life to rise above the rest—art school is optional. Armed with talent and strength of character, Gregory Siff has become unstoppable. Having graduated from the spray-painted halls of Los Angeles to the walls of the Whitney, Siff’sgift lies in his ability to speak to people, no matter where they fall on the cultural stratum. He is the Every Man, an individual who relates to the world through his shared experiences with others. He is a master of expression, and behind every painting lives an anecdote just as thrilling as the work itself.
“Bullfight in a Motion Picture Industry,” Siff’s latest creation, is a telling look into the psyche of the artist and his own inspiring journey through darkness to destiny. In this bold and brilliant work, a bullfight goes awry. The tables turn and victim becomes victor as the bull slays the matador and runs toward its freedom. It is a tale of the triumphant underdog who continues with unmatched determination against all odds, escaping seemingly certain destruction. The bull’s is a happy ending, one that can be felt in the presence of the piece. But there is something else, a deeper meaning to be discovered beneath the painting’s vibrant colors and pulsating images. It is the story and emotion of the real man. The artist as bull.underdog who continues with unmatched determination against all odds, escaping seemingly certain destruction. The bull’s is a happy ending, one that can be felt in the presence of the piece. But there is something else, a deeper meaning to be discovered beneath the painting’s vibrant colors and pulsating images. It is the story and emotion of the real man. The artist as bull.
Siff’s story begins as a young man with rather misguided aspirations of becoming an actor in Hollywood, a goal he would eventually achieve with moderate success. Finding himself quickly cast and categorized as a “type” within the industry, Siff, despite having grasped this so-called dream between his fingers, felt far from self-actualized. Just like a bull worn down by the jabbing spears of the toreros, the young actor became increasingly disheartened. “There are forces in the world that try and kill the song in you—the rainbow and the color and all that’s good in you,” Siff says. “The world is a beautiful place, but it’s also a bullfight.”
In 2010 he fired his acting manager and gave up on that dead dream. Siff had long been exploring art as a personal outlet for his successes and failures and enjoyed how it empoweredhim. “In art there are no mistakes. Whenever you are creating as an artist, there is no waste.” With no formal training or professional direction, he resolved to create a new piece of art every day, confident that time and practice would bring its rewards. “There are two choices in life: If you fail at something, you can be depressed and angry and hate the world, or you can try harder and do double until you succeed. It doesn’t matter if I paint six paintings and none of them are good, because out of those six bad paintings will come three good ones if I just keep doing it.The more I paint the more I learn about art and the more I learn about myself.”
A constant narrative in Siff’s work are the people and places that touch him and the moments in time he chooses to commemorate. By immortalizing the memories, he can capture the joy behind things as simple as eating a hamburger or as tragic as losing a cherished dream. As Siff explains: “Art is magic. It’s a recipe. Everything has meaning. When an artist eats a chocolate chip cookie, he is not just eating a cookie; he is in love somewhere and remembering how it tasted, how it felt, trying to translate all those heightened sensations to the canvas so someone else can share the experience.”
Siff’s current status as an artist well on the rise is a far cry from his humble beginnings. He continues to sell work at a rate that is quickly establishing him as one of the most popular artists of the day—a success, Siff believes, that can be directly attributed to his struggles. It is the struggle, after all, that binds him to everyone else. “People aren’t just buying the art; they’re buying the artist. People want to say they had a drink with me. They want to tell the story, and I’m a part of that.”
Being able to stay relevant and establish longevity in the art world comes with its own set of challenges, a veritable tightrope walk—a recipe, as Siff mentioned earlier, in its own right. Becoming too much of a celebrity can cost an artist credibility. Not enough exposure leaves youburied in the shadows. The solution? Timelessness.
“A good buddy of mine likened art to hip hop, and it is just that—it’s the New Cool. However, art has been cool since before the Renaissance.” And here we are: timelessness. Two of Siff’s greatest inspirations are Vincent van Gogh and Toulouse-Lautrec, masters of an older school. He recently visited Paris to connect with his mentors, even visiting the cafés they frequented. “I wish I could have a drink with Lautrec, or sit with Van Gogh and hear the story of the prostitute who broke his heart.”
Much like his predecessors, Siff’s best work is born from the ashes of his own suffering. When asked what provides the most pain, he responds: “Time. You can’t get time back. You can’t hold on to anything in this life. Nothing is permanent. No matter what you try to get, you always only get you. The only thing you can own in this world is your own heart. You have to love you, you have to listen to you, and you have to hold you. If you are holding on to other things, you are losing.”
Equipped with the knowledge and maturity that can only come from overcoming life’s more complex experiences, Gregory Siff has arrived. The transformation is as evident in the man as it is in the work. Siff’s personal journey as seen through his art—from his early, simplified drawings to the complicated, multi-dimensional fine art pieces everyone is clamoring to get their hands on—tells the intimate story of a man’s life in progress. “I’m human, too,” Siff explains. “I’m just like you. I want all the same great things that you want. Some of them I get, and some of them I don’t. So when you look at one of my paintings, understand that my heart has felt great things… and it’s been broken to pieces. And that’s okay. In my paintings I hope you can see the story and know that it is not only my story, it is yours.”
As the matador lies dead in the distance, the triumphant warrior emerges, a bull adorned withbattle scars he wears like works of art, marching towards a newfound destiny. A natural survivor, the only thing left to do is to share his story with the world, which he does, ever so graciously.