The Standard

Gregory Siff has been a long time friend of The Standard - he’s hosted multiple art shows in Hollywood and painted the vitrine several times - so we were delighted to bring him over to our side of town to take over The 6th Street Mural.

Oft-inspired by the art and life of Vincent van Gogh, his mural installation was filmed for painT, a modern day adaptation of the artist’s life that Greg will also star in. 

We have a feeling that Greg is the kind of guy who never sleeps, as evidenced by the fact that he answered our interview questions in the middle of the night. We feel honored that he managed to give us a minute. Learn more about Greg’s work and inspiration straight from the horse’s mouth.

The Standard: You’ve been a long time pal of The Standard, both in Hollywood & Downtown LA. What is it about you + us that makes us so compatible?

Gregory Siff: It’s home for me.  I came here in the year 2000 from New York to act and when I stepped into The Standard, Hollywood for the first time, it’s embrace and connection to art was clear. I felt like I could find something closer to who I am by spending a lot of time there. And I did. Ten years later, and I am doing exactly, and living exactly how I dreamt.

We’ve talked about this on the blog before, but tell us a bit about painT.

painT is an independent film that I wrote and play the lead character in. It is a modernization of the life of the artist Vincent van Gogh. If he was around today, what would he look like? How would he paint? What kind of music would he listen to? When anyone mentions his name, the first thing you hear out of their mouths is, “Crazy bastard cut his ear off!”   It’s much more than that.

Where/what do you draw inspiration from and how does it translate to art in a public space like the 6^th Street Mural?

Inspiration comes from kids’ art, chocolate, the feminine form, New York, Hollywood and Vincent. At the end of the day, the mural is an opportunity to feel good just painting on a Thursday.

What’s your next big project and what are you excited about in 2011?

The project at hand is painT.  Been on this since 2006 and it takes a lot of my energies being actor, writer, artist, and producer.  This year is the most productive yet and we have a lot more to go.

You can find Greg online at www.gregorysiff.tumblr.com and www.paintthemovie.tumblr.com.