Watching him create, it’s wholly evident that Joe Schaeffer’s practice is about more than the medium or the support. It’s a complete physical experience, and that’s a large part of the thrill for the local artist and designer.

“I enjoy the physicality of painting,” he said. “I’m so used to being in front of a computer clicking a mouse all day in a confined space. Paintings are much more about physically moving the brush or pen around, laying down the intuitive mark and stepping back and seeing what I’ve made.”

A graphic designer by trade, in addition to his painting practice, Schaeffer recently introduced arts academic into his repertoire, serving as a design teacher and art gallery director for the University of Sioux Falls (USF). Putting his entire self into his work is a hallmark of everything the artist does, from his design studio to his painting.

“The only thing that’ll go through my mind when drawing is what tool I grab, initially,” Schaeffer said. “I make that decision and after that it’s about fluidity. The first few colors are intuitive, but as I get deeper into the painting, my choices become much more calculated, providing contrast and relationships between form and color and texture.”

His painting practice has afforded Schaeffer the opportunity to work on plenty of commission pieces, as well as one particularly rewarding experience live-drawing alongside a performance of “Finding Rothko” by the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra.

“It’s the merging of two arts coming together, and I just love the way it was handled—the crowd, the energy,” he said of the experience, which resulted in a piece that was purchased, with proceeds going to the Washington Pavilion. It’s since been donated to the South Dakota Music Museum where it will be displayed as part of the organization’s collection alongside a video of the process itself.

“Usually I’m listening to music while I make—hip hop or jazz,” he said, “and there’s a performative aspect to it. That probably affected the way the piece turned out—being on stage with an audience, versus me alone in my studio. I tried to let the music guide me.”

This vibrant, energetic approach to creating is something that was instilled in Schaeffer from a young age. Originally born in California and moving to Sioux Falls at age three, he recalls childhood trips to the west coast to see extended family.

“Some of the first art I saw was graffiti, and I think that has sort of ingrained itself in my brain,” he said. “It’s what I associated with visual art. I never went to museums or galleries growing up. I think it sort of permanently imprinted itself on me.”

That emotional quality has translated to his graphic design work as well, as there’s always an emphasis on being different and distinctive in every piece.

“I always strive for visual intensity. I don’t like limpy design. It’s a visual language that’s still inherent to how I approach my work.”

And that work wasn’t originally part of the plan. Though you’d find nary a drill or scaler in his studio space, Schaeffer had every intention from a young age of entering dentistry, a path that he’s since veered far away from in his current life.

“Leading up to my junior year of high school, I thought I was going to be a dentist,” he said. “I started taking all these science classes and was struggling. I had to replay my days over and over again. What was I doing when I was distracted in biology class?

“I was sketching in my notebook, I was doodling, I was hand-drawing lettering.”

The notion to be an artist was something Schaeffer came by honestly, his own father having pursued graphic arts at Sioux Falls College, now, ironically enough, USF.

“In some ways I feel like I’m living the dream he never quite got to, so that’s very important to me,” he said. “I’m always very conscious of making sure my parents get invites to everything, because I think it allows him to experience some of the things he wanted to enter but now can live through me.”

Now in the classroom space, Schaeffer sees the opportunity in offering a guiding hand to the next generation who might have similarly struggled to find an academic outlet for a penchant for artistry.

“My students keep me sharp, because, in teaching design, you have to constantly feed them information to get them to go deeper,” he said. “That requires a lot of output. You have to figure out ways to push the work further. It begins to diversify the way you think and creates divergence. This mentality creates opportunity to keep generating ideas and to stay curious.

“If you’re not interesting, you won’t make anything interesting, so you have to be curious about a lot of things.”

Works by Joe Schaeffer can be viewed thru July 25 at the Bates Trimble Gallery in the Washington Pavilion, as part of the “On the Edge” exhibition.

“The community rallied and supported us really well,” owner and artist Jerry Cook said. “In 2021, we’re not quite back to the heyday of Rehfeld’s, but we’re strong and stable. The light is getting brighter.”

Moving from the business’s longtime location in the heart of downtown Sioux Falls to an expanded space in the Falls Center building in uptown Sioux Falls, Rehfeld’s took on a lot of exciting change in 2020, but its management team is confident in the road that lies ahead.

“It’s a phenomenal building—tons of natural light,” Cook said. “The entire team did a lot of work to renovate the space, creating custom tables and half-wall systems. The nicest thing about it all is just the facelift the building got.”

Cultivating a new space that not only serves the gallery side of the business, but also the custom framing operations, is something gallery manager and designer Erin Castle was especially motivated to partake in.

“From an art gallery and framer’s standpoint, living in the old location for such a long time and having the opportunity to recreate the space to fit what it was we were lacking, we were able to make it what we didn’t have before,” she said. “Being able to rebuild the wheel according to what our needs are now was a great advantage we’ve benefited from in this new space.”

Begun in 1983 by Larry Rehfeld, the business has changed hands a few times through the years and most recent owner Cook took the reins in 2019. As 2021 has allowed Rehfeld’s to start to truly make use of its new digs, the gallery plays host to 25 artists, many of whom are new to the organization. But variety has always been a hallmark of what you’ll find in the business’s offerings.

“We’re all over the map,” Cook said. “We have custom, original pottery, sculptures, metal works, traditional painting. We try to, as best we can, showcase a pretty broad range of artists and artistic capabilities to make sure that we’ve got pieces for really anyone who walks in the door.”

“The one commonality is that they’re local and regional,” Castle added. “While we have a variety of styles and looks, they all have that regional root. We want to represent our community and give back to them by elevating their work and putting it on display where it should be.”

The duality of the Rehfeld’s business model allows its team to serve a utilitarian purpose as well—though the art of framing can in and of itself be a rewarding, creative venture as the team members can attest.

“We get to collect stories and have that direct communication with family members that these things mean so much to,” said Castle, who cited heirloom quilts and civil war bayonets among some of the unique preservation requests they’ve received. “Through that process we get to work on their aesthetic, as well as learn what’s important about these things. Those personal relationships are so important to us as well. They’ve given us the trust to preserve and care for these things that are priceless to them.”

The future is laying out a path with great forward momentum. Rehfeld’s is expanding its services in printing and online sales, as well as scouting out more opportunities to collaborate with artists of all disciplines in the near-term.

“As Sioux Falls grows, we’re poised and positioned to continue to be a leader in Sioux Falls and the region,” Cook said. “We have a ton of ideas and goals, and getting over the huge obstacles of the last year is really going to help us focus on that going forward.”

“Collaboration, I think, is one of the most inspiring aspects of being an artist,” Castle said. “I want to be able to connect with artists we haven’t reached yet. I love the idea of this area of town becoming that arts hub—with (Levitt Sioux Falls) across the street and Ipso Gallery right around the corner.

“These are some of the greatest arts minds we have in this area. I want to build on those relationships and be a leader in that way as well.”

Creation Thru Curiosity

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