Keith Skogstrom is a man in motion and his work is no different.

This Chicago artist is doing it big, 6 feet by 38 feet to be exact, in his latest project for The Violet Hour, a super swanky prohibition-themed speakeasy that Keith has re-decorated by creating an installation across the ENTIRE external facade of the building with Sharpie shrine-worthy work.

It’ll be up for another two weeks so if you’re in the Windy City you can swing by and check out Keith’s mechanical masterpiece.

Keith has graciously agreed to enlighten us about what it takes to create such an installation, what inspires him and his passion for Sharpie, of course!

Tell me about yourself! I was born and raised in Ohio. I received a BFA from Ohio University in 2007. In 2008, I moved to Chicago after a show titled Neoporkopolis. The show was in Cincinnati and one of the artist was from Chicago and suggested the city. I signed a lease and moved downtown a week later into the Ukrainian Village. Don’t move to Chicago in January. (We could have told you that! Although, funnily enough I made the same mistake!) The artist that encouraged my move was Andrew CopperSmith and together we had a show at a gallery as the “Binford Experience”. Andrew got into the graduate program at the Chicago Art Institute and there was little more production of artwork until the following February. I participated in a group show for Toyota at the Creative Lounge located at North Ave and Damen. Since then I have been operating out of a studio in Wicker Park as Geodesic Designs. I hope to continue making murals and furniture and soon to be doing so professionally. Someday I would like to have a furniture store/studio in which I sell furniture and artwork as well as a working space.  

What is inspires you as an artist?  I am inspired by mechanical motion.  

How would you describe your style? I would describe myself as a kinetic artist. My sculptures are both active and interactive. As a sculptor, I create a “machine” that consistently replicates an experience from a collective childhood unconsciousness. I would stylistically describe my flat work as “Implied Kinetics”. I create the illusion of “movement” by using shapes and patterns that resemble mechanical components such as cogs, pulleys, bearings, and timing belts. To increase the illusion, I use a combination of contour line drawing and cross hatching to add volume to the individual components.   

How did you get started working as an artist? How do you get the creative juices flowing?  My artistic career started in high school when a teacher, Mr. Mike Simpson, encouraged my artistic talents. I went to Ohio University and graduated Cum Laude in 2007 with a BFA in painting. My current work, which I categorize as the Brockton Operation series, is based on a commission I completed in October of 2010. The Brockton Operation became a complex in Mass. where Thomas Edison ran experiments for developing a central power grid. The finished product is a shaped wooden panel with varying intensities of Sharpie marker.   

For inspiration I’ll take things apart or watch Youtube videos about differential gears, engines, or any complex machine’s workings.  

How do you use Sharpie markers in your work?  I use Sharpie markers to make the lines and fill in blocks of color. I use rubber bands to attach the Sharpie markers to compasses to make perfect small circles. For larger circles, I have created a trammel point-like apparatus that holds a Sharpie marker on one independent clamp, and a sharp point on a second independent clamp. The two clamps attach to scrap lumber allowing for circles to be created at any diameter.    

Favorite Sharpie? Why? My favorite Sharpie markers are the fine tip and the chisel tip. I use the fine tip for intricate elements and fine circle circumferences. I use the chisel tips to fill in large blocks or add a specific texture.  

Chiseled to perfection...

Describe the process for creating such a large installation piece.  As an artist, I use plywood because the wood grain contrasts the mechanical images. As a draftsman, I am interested in the plywood because I can create high contrast lines that can and are sanded to varying levels on the value scale. The style for this current installation is inspired by the “Brockton Operation” series, but the arrangement for the eleven main circles is based on an artifact found in a Greek wreckage call the Antikythera mechanism.

The process for translating the image from paper to mural was as follows: create template, translate template to individual panels, thicken panels, create registration, mount panels on registration, draw first layer, sand first layer, draw second layer, remove panels from registration, coat panels with protective finish, and finally mount panels to façade.

To create the template, I covered the façade in a six foot tall level cardboard sheets. I drew my shapes using a spacer and level based on the drawing I created and used to propose the installation. I cut out the cardboard shapes and took them to a large home improvement store. I traced the shapes onto matching plywood maple panels, making sure the grain ran in the same direction. I squared the shapes by backing them with and inch thick border then routing the edge plum. Next, I built a six foot tall by 38 foot long faux wall that was the exact length of the Violet Hour façade but broke down into 8 four foot structures and 1 six foot structure. I mounted the faux wall directly to the actual façade approx. one foot down from a support beam. I then mounted the 53 shaped panels to the faux wall and removed the entire structure from the wall leaving the pieces attached. I created the first layer of the finished image in my studio 20 feet at a time. I built a slide for different panels to be added and removed as completed. Once the first layer of drawing was done, I took the faux wall back to the Violet Hour and confirm a consistent distribution of detail throughout the 38 feet as I had only seen it 20 feet at a time up to this point. At this point, I sanded the first layer with a 120 grit orbital sander until I got a blue/gray “faded” image. The faux wall then gets placed  back on the slide to be finished with a second “layer” of detail. Once the image was completed, I sent them to a finisher that I commissioned. I primed and painted the façade of the violet hour over a five day period. Once returned, the panels were arranged and mounted to the façade with thick blocks behind to create depth between the back of the panel and the wall.  

How did your installation project get started?    The installation got started because I was a regular at the Violet Hour. The Violet Hour is a prohibition themed speakeasy where the mural now hangs for another two weeks. The owners provide a wall for artists in the area to create murals upon and to do so on a four to six week rotation. I initiated contact with the owners via a wonderful hostess, now friend of mine, named Lara. She arranged a meeting for the owners and myself where I pitched the mural with a drawing and an example of the artwork from the “Brockton Operation” series. They agreed that I could use the wall in September, but due to a delay on my part the unveiling was pushed back to October.    

 Advice for other young artists?   Make things. You can’t have shows or design your website without something to document. I am constantly getting questions from artists about how to setup their website or market themselves when they have few artifacts and even fewer competent images or documentation of the work. Most importantly, artists need to create objects or conceptualize thoughts in order to develop an identity. The process of creating unique artwork starts with the action. Critique and refinement can only be applied to fully realize artistic investigations. Without attempts at making art, artwork can not be fully developed.

For more on Keith and his work, visit his website and find more photos of his work on Facebook!

The event had an all-star lineup of five guest speakers, local Chicago DJs kept the dance floor moving and art auctions were held through out the night with proceeds going to Reason to Give. The walls of the venue were covered with white paper and blank posters with more Sharpie markers far and wide, luring the creative minds to draw, write, scribble and sketch. Even our friends from The Hello Project were present with a dedicated area for creating those favorite 3×3 ‘Hellos’. Find out exactly who was in attendance, speakers, DJ’s, sponsors and more at LetsMerge.

Big shout outs go to the list of sponsors and artists who helped make the event possible and of course two incredibly talented photographers, Kyle LaMere of IshootRockstars and Colin Beckett who captured Reply All in all its glory (…and here are some of them!)

photo by Colin Beckett

photo by Colin Beckett

photo by Colin Beckett

photo by Colin Beckett

by Kyle LaMere of IshootRockstars (you might recognize a few familiar faces in the top row)

Chicago Blackhawks WIN Stanley Cup Finals

CONGRATULATIONS Chicago Blackhawks!!

 The Blackhawks defeated the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday night to win the Stanley Cup Finals in Game 6, the first championship for Chicago since 1961.  Patrick Kane sneaked the puck past Michael Leighton lifting the Hawks into a 4-3 overtime win!  What an awesome victory for such an stellar team!  Way to Go Hawks!!!   

Sharpie-Style Cross-Check

How does your office, company or school show support for hometown sports teams?

  … the opportunity is right here!

Literacy Chicago invites you to attend their annual fundraising event, The Well-Read Affair, in support of adult literacy programs taking place on February 25^th!  Join L.C.  in the penthouse ballroom of Hotel 71 for an evening of music, cocktails and hors d’oeurves, accompanied by a silent auction in which attendees will bid on a host of custom bookmarks hand designed with Sharpie markers by artists and celebrities!

Get your ticket here!

Here’s a sneak peak of some of the bookmarks that will be up for bid:

6 words made famous by the great James Earl Jones (another noteworthy performance as Mr. Mertle in "The Sandlot")

Marc Brown's fav book (side 1)

Your everyday Aardvarks (Marc Brown, side 2)

Webster put the actress' picture under "H-O-T"

What's Scarlett Jo.'s fav? The Pokey Little Puppy! (side 2)

Bookmark created by Zac Efron. Mick Jagger anyone?

Literacy Chicago is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the literacy skills of Chicago-area adults and families.  Their programs and services range from free classes in reading and math, to GED prep, one-on-one tutoring in Adult Basic Literacy and English as a Second Language and more.

 Visit Literacy Chicago online for more information about The Well-Read Affair, to purchase your tickets, and learn about all of their programs, as well as other events and volunteer opportunities.    

 The Well-Read Affair

Click here to purchase tickets.

A few more pics just for fun:

A whole lotta Sharpie goin' on (What Elvis would have said)

Sharpie provided lots of markers used to create the bookmakrs that will be up for bid at Literacy Chicago's Well-Read Affair!

Just to make your day a little bit more difficult to get through, here’s a reminder:  V-Day (or should I say D-Day) is right around the corner! The pressure is really on to get your that quality gift.  So what does this mean?  Are you excited or aggravated by this fact?  Maybe last week you were all for the lovey dovey holiday but as the pressure mounts are you beginning to change your mind?  Or maybe you absolutely hated the thought of hearts and candy last week and now that you have a date, you’re all for it!  Hey, I don’t know what your thoughts are…but that’s why I’m asking:

Valentine’s Day: Love it or Leave it?

Check out these brand new videos from our on-street Chicago interviews and see what people had to say:

Join the debate on Facebook !  Upload your videos, pictures & comments all before Sunday – VALENTINE’S DAY!

Valentine’s Day Memories!  

Memories are like pictures for your soul.  When you think back to that moment, you can see every detail, hear every sound, smell every scent, taste every last morsel —  it all comes rushing back to you in an instant just with one thought. Valentine’s Day is tough though.  There is a lot of pressure to make this one day memorable, a  day that will be remembered and cherished forever.  Do we achieve that every year? Maybe. Maybe not.  Either way a memory is made and we add yet another snapshot to our internal photo album.

So what’s the best or worst  memory you have of Valentine’s Day?  Every one has some story to tell, what’s yours?  Maybe you had that perfect Valentine’s Day that you will never forget.  Maybe you had a magical night with your sweetheart and to this day it was the best night of your life!  Did you get a bad rash from the “roses” your lover bought you?  Did you bloat like a blowfish post-VDay chocolates?  Tell us about your VDay memory –  we want to know!

When we were downtown we got a few people chatting about their VDay memories -  here are new videos from the on-street interviews:

Join the conversation on Facebook where you can comment and upload your own videos and pics!   We will be posting more videos through the 14th so check back to see fi you or any of your friends are posted!

Don’t forget, all the videos are uploaded on Youtube. 

♥ ♥ ♥

So you’ve heard!! – Sharpie is sponsoring a Valentine’s LOVE ♥ HATE Debate Feb. 1st thru 14th)!

For a quick recap, on Monday the conversation focused around whether or not you LOVE or HATE Valentine’s Day.  For the most part, I’m getting Lots O’ Love!  but believe me the numbers are there in terms of  Haters!  *I’ll fill you in on the official L vs H count later on!*  We also debuted the 1st set of several videos from interviews hosted on Chicago’s Maginificent Mile, featuring what people had to say about V-Day !  (You can still see Monday’s videos on Sharpie’s YouTube page, under the “Valentine’s Day -Love Hate Debate Playlist”

Now, onto Today’s topic…

      Today is all about the GIFTS!!

Valentine’s Day is different from other gift-giving holidays.  Let’s be honest, there is plenty of room for error here and sometimes our sweethearts hit the target right on, while other times we aren’t so fortunate and end up with a half eaten box of chocolates and a carnation. 

Check out our latest and greatest videos from our Michigan Ave interviews where we asked Chicagoans about their V-DAY gift giving experiences:

 So now that you’ve seen these vids., let’s get to talking!  Here are some topics that could stir up some debate! - However, if you have a topic of your own, go right ahead and start up the convo! 

• “OMG! BGE (best gift ever)!!”
• “You’ve got to be kidding…YouREALLY thought I would like this?!?”
• Back in the Day Valentine: FavoriteValentine’s Day memory from when you were little.
• Awkward V-Day!
• “I left blatantly obvious clues, but he/she just didn’t get the hint!”
• Homemade OR Store bought?  Which do you prefer?
• ONE-OF-A-KIND Valentine: What original Valentine’s Day gifts have you received and/or given?!  *(this could go both ways, good or bad )

As a reminder, here’s how the debate works…

Share your thoughts, stories & all the in between:

1. Make a video and upload it to YouTube (post a video response in the comment section) on: http://www.youtube.com/SharpieUS
2. Join Sharpie’s Fan page and leave your comments, videos and photos on our wall: http://www.facebook.com/Sharpie
3. Follow & share your thoughts on Twitter with @SharpieSusan! Don’t forget to add #SharpieDebate hashtag

♥ Check out SharpieUncapped for more!

Valentine’s Day… The infamous February 14th.  The holiday celebrated around the world to express love.  A  romantic, heart-felt, candy-filled day represented by hearts, exchanging Valentine’s and a cherub aiming his bow at love-seeking pedestrians.  You’d think that such a holiday would be cherished by everyone….right?!

Well, apparently not!  While it may seem like everyone is seeing red and pink lately there has been a lot of back and forth regarding whether to love or hate Valentine’s Day.  This controversial topic has inspired Sharpie to host its own debate and find out where YOU stand on the issue.  Maybe you’re that gal who LOVES LOVE and enjoys getting wrapped up in all the Valentine’s Day  hoopla?  Or maybe you’re the kind of guy who claims Valentine’s Day is a greeting card manufactured holiday?!  Whoever you are, whatever side you take,  we want to know!  Express yourself and let your voice be heard!   Be a part of Sharpie’s first ever

 Love-Hate Debate!

HOW IT WORKS!

Share YOUR OPINION February 1st through 14th!  Tell us if you Love or Hate Valentine’s Day by:

1. Make a video and uploading it to YouTube (post a video response in the comment section) on: http://www.youtube.com/SharpieUS
2. Join Sharpie’s Fan page and leave your comments and photos on our wall: http://www.facebook.com/Sharpie
3. Follow the discussion on Twitter and respond directly to @SharpieSusan with a #SharpieDebate hashtag

Need some inspiration?  To kick things off we took our question to Chicago’s Magnificent Mile to find out what people had to say about Valentine’s Day!  Check out the first series of videos to see what was said!  Come back throughout the next two weeks to see more of what Chicagoans had to say on this hot topic:

We will be posting more Michigan Ave. interviews and sharing your uploaded videos and pics February 1st through February 14th so check back every day to see what’s new!

Check out SharpieUncapped for more details tied to the debate!

No, this is not gibberish and don’t worry, we haven’t lost our minds over here at Sharpie either.  These words are in fact a work of Sharpie art and the newest permanent fixture at Jbar, a well-known Chicago hotspot neighboring The James Hotel. 

“Everything inspires me.  Some artists paint pictures and shapes, I paint using words.  Words create images in my head, but I like the way words look when they are placed next to and on top of each other, taking on a form of its own.”  “My technique allows the viewer to think simple letters form complex words, serving to create language as a form of art.”

-Brian Graves

Local Chicago artist, Brian Graves made his Sharpie mark on the bar’s walls with Jgrooves I & II and Jposition I & II, installations from the Jbar Project.  For this project, Graves drew inspiration from different areas, including famous one-liners from popular club songs that have been fixated into his own mind.  The words above are from a portion of the installation, stating the precise location of Jbar itself; beginning with outer space progressing to its exact coordinates on Earth.

*I would like to take this moment to thank you, Mr. Graves, for cursing me with the musical mash-up that is repeating in my head, consisting of Madonna’s Hey Mr Dj, U2’s She Moves in Mysterious Ways, Tina Turner’s Proud Mary and P!nk’s intellectually stimulating, Get this Party Started.*

Graves focuses on the development of self-taught expression of both feeling and emotion in his own form of abstract painting. Letters, words, everyday expressions and emotion combine and collide with color and texture through layers of acrylics, oils, pastels and yes, Sharpie markers!

Artist Brian Graves (second from left) and friends at Jbar

Trust me when I say that you need to see more of Brian Graves’ artwork. Absolutely incredible!  BigArtChicago <— Check it out

Hey, why not see his work up close and personal?!  Grab a cab and jet on over to the JBar at The James.

*A BIG thanks goes out to Raul Ruiz, Sharpie Highlighters Brand Manager for suggesting Brian’s Jbar project for the Sharpie Blog.  Follow Raul on Twitter! (He has a great profile pic)