William Schaff
Encyclopedia
William J. Schaff Jr. is a Providence, Rhode Island
-based artist
and musician, who has created the detailed art for all of the Jagjaguwar releases of Okkervil River and artwork for other music albums, including for the bands Songs: Ohia
and Godspeed You! Black Emperor
.
. Schaff's pieces include painting
s, drawing
s, collage
s, scratchboard
s, mail art
, motion pictures, and comics
. Schaff is known for his cover art
on releases from recording artists Godspeed You! Black Emperor
, Kid Dakota
, Okkervil River,http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid%3A264983 and Songs: Ohia
.http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/under_the_covers/william-schaff.htm
A graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art
, Schaff has exhibited and lectured at the United States Air Force Academy
, the Rhode Island School of Design
, Amherst College
, and East Carolina University
.
In 2009, Schaff was the 9th subject of Pitchfork.com's Take Cover, an interview column dedicated to spotlighting striking new album art and the artists who create them. While all previous installments of Take Cover had pertained to the art of a single new release, the December '09 interview with Schaff concerned the entire body of work produced as a result of his long collaboration with Okkervil River.
Schaff is prolific and makes most of his finished art and/or large works in progress available for online viewing at his Flickr account.
, he led the now-defunct Reformation as vocalist and songwriter. Subsequently, he performed under the adopted name Noel the Coward, singing and playing guitar. He also was part of the four piece musical act I Love You And I Miss You. Since moving to Providence in 1998, Schaff has played guitar and percussion with The Eyesores and Black Forest/Black Sea. He currently performs as the drumming ape “Chop Chop” in the Providence marching band, What Cheer? Brigade
.
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
-based artist
and musician, who has created the detailed art for all of the Jagjaguwar releases of Okkervil River and artwork for other music albums, including for the bands Songs: Ohia
Songs: Ohia
Jason Molina is an American singer-songwriter, originally from Lorain, Ohio. He first came to prominence performing and recording as Songs: Ohia, both in solo projects and with a rotating cast of musicians...
and Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Godspeed You! Black Emperor is a Canadian post-rock band which originated from Montreal, Quebec in 1994...
.
Art
Much of Schaff's art addresses the Holocaust. His work also explores the tensions of urban life, as well as consequences of, and responses to, terrorismTerrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
. Schaff's pieces include painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
s, drawing
Drawing
Drawing is a form of visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, markers, styluses, and various metals .An artist who...
s, collage
Collage
A collage is a work of formal art, primarily in the visual arts, made from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole....
s, scratchboard
Scratchboard
Scratchboard or scraperboard is a technique where drawings are created using sharp knives and tools for etching into a thin layer of white China clay that is coated with black India ink. Scratchboard can also be made with several layers of multi-colored clay, so the pressure exerted on the...
s, mail art
Mail art
Mail art is a worldwide cultural movement that began in the early 1960s and involves sending visual art through the international postal system. Mail Art is also known as Postal Art or Correspondence Art...
, motion pictures, and comics
Comics
Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...
. Schaff is known for his cover art
Cover art
Cover art is the illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product such as a book , magazine, comic book, video game , DVD, CD, videotape, or music album. The art has a primarily commercial function, i.e...
on releases from recording artists Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Godspeed You! Black Emperor is a Canadian post-rock band which originated from Montreal, Quebec in 1994...
, Kid Dakota
Kid Dakota
Kid Dakota is the musical moniker of Darren Jackson. He started performing as "Kid Dakota and the Tumbleweeds" in 1998 while living in Providence, Rhode Island. The name was chosen in homage to his home state of South Dakota and also as a parody of Kid Rock...
, Okkervil River,http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid%3A264983 and Songs: Ohia
Songs: Ohia
Jason Molina is an American singer-songwriter, originally from Lorain, Ohio. He first came to prominence performing and recording as Songs: Ohia, both in solo projects and with a rotating cast of musicians...
.http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/under_the_covers/william-schaff.htm
A graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art
Maryland Institute College of Art
Maryland Institute College of Art is an art and design college in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. It was founded in 1826 as the Maryland Institute for the Promotion of the Mechanic Arts, making it one of the first and oldest art colleges in the United States. In 2008, MICA was ranked #2 in the nation...
, Schaff has exhibited and lectured at the United States Air Force Academy
United States Air Force Academy
The United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...
, the Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design is a fine arts and design college located in Providence, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1877. Located at the base of College Hill, the RISD campus is contiguous with the Brown University campus. The two institutions share social, academic, and community resources and...
, Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
, and East Carolina University
East Carolina University
East Carolina University is a public, coeducational, engaged doctoral/research university located in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. Named East Carolina University by statute and commonly known as ECU or East Carolina, the university is the largest institution of higher learning in...
.
Schaff is prolific and makes most of his finished art and/or large works in progress available for online viewing at his Flickr account.
Music
During college in BaltimoreBaltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, he led the now-defunct Reformation as vocalist and songwriter. Subsequently, he performed under the adopted name Noel the Coward, singing and playing guitar. He also was part of the four piece musical act I Love You And I Miss You. Since moving to Providence in 1998, Schaff has played guitar and percussion with The Eyesores and Black Forest/Black Sea. He currently performs as the drumming ape “Chop Chop” in the Providence marching band, What Cheer? Brigade
What Cheer? Brigade
What Cheer? Brigade is a brass band with approximately 18 active members from Providence, Rhode Island. They perform using exclusively brass instruments and drums in a variety of world styles, such as Indian Bollywood music, Balkan brass, klezmer, as well as American styles such as hip hop, rock,...
.
External links
- The Artwork of William Schaff.
- What Cheer? Marching Band.
- "About the Artist: William Schaff" from Austin ChronicleAustin ChronicleThe Austin Chronicle is an alternative weekly, tabloid-style newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demographic...
. - "Under the Covers" from Stylus MagazineStylus MagazineStylus Magazine was an online music and film magazine launched in 2002. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, a number of different podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog....
- "Unsettling Images/Artist's Images of Holocaust Horror Aim to Arouse" from The Gazette (Colorado Springs)The Gazette (Colorado Springs)The Gazette is a newspaper based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States. It is published daily by Irvine, California-based Freedom Communications...
. - "An Electric Turn with Literary Pop" Schaff's cover art for Okkervil River discussed in a Boston Globe article.
- "Take Cover: Will Schaff". December 2009 interview with Schaff on Pitchfork MediaPitchfork MediaPitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
.