DIGITAL MIND: Myles Kleinfeld
“I was in bed (after back surgery) I couldn’t really move around for a period of weeks and I remember thinking ‘I gotta do something creative” - Myles Kleinfeld
Digital Mind: Myles Kleinfeld
Myles’s art journey began at the tender age of eight when his mom introduced him to the Cherry Hill Art League back in his hometown in New Jersey. This early exposure to various art mediums, such as pastels, drawings, and charcoal allowed Kleinfeld to experiment with creating art. Myles’s talent was noticed by some of his teachers along the way and they encouraged him to stick with it. During high school, he enrolled in a photography class where he learned to play with the camera. His teacher in that class spotted Myles’s passion and skill with photography and encouraged him to go to art school.
Taking his teacher’s advice to heart, Myles chose to focus on photography and explore other artistic talents. He has now showcased his work nationwide, being accepted into juried shows by the curators of the Whitney Museum, the Guggenheim Museum, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Queens Museum of Art and the San Jose Museum of Art.
We had the honor of sitting down with him and asking a few questions about his life, his journey as an artist and how it affects his mental health. As his children have just left for college, he is planning on using his additional free time to create more art. We look forward to watching Myles further flourish as an artist.
*Myles also gives his viewers the option to purchase his artwork as a physical copy or as a NFT.
This interview took place on May 18th 2023
Q: What made you want to get into digital art as it is a bit different from your previous work?
A: I got into digital art sort of by accident, when I was in my 20’s. I was a professional snowboarder and was an avid surfer (also entered a few surfing competitions), but unfortunately I hurt myself by jumping off cliffs and things like that. Anyway I really hurt myself one year and needed back surgery. So when I was in bed, I couldn’t really move around for a period of months and I remember thinking “I gotta do something creative.” I really missed doing my art and expressing myself. By pulling out my laptop I was able to create art by playing around with shapes and colors using Adobe software. I got a kick out of creating art in such a simplistic manner, but I didn’t really think much of it. While at the same time, I really enjoyed it.
Mark In Question by Myles Kleinfeld
Q: Do you have any specific goals with your artwork and yourself?
A: My goal for both myself and my artwork is just really to make some sort of mark on the planet. Once I am gone, I hope my art will live on and I will have made an impact artistically. My use of the computer to generate digital art is fairly new within the landscape of art. My hope is that I will influence future generations to continue to use the computer to generate art to express themselves.
My Heart by Myles Kleinfeld
Q: How does your artwork relate back to mental health and Siy Gallery’s message about mental health?
A: I started the body of work after having back surgery and was stuck in bed. It was pretty horrible both mentally and physically. When I was working on my artwork it kept my mind healthy, and active. Tying back to the Siy Gallery, it aligns with Nounie’s vision because this artwork kept me together mentally. I was going out of my mind, stuck in bed. I could no longer shoot photography, but creating art this way was a lot of fun. I kept saying let's do it again, again, and again. Later, as I was going through my divorce, I was trying to stay away from my ex-wife as much as possible, so I would stay late in my office and would create even more work. Making art and creating all of these different projects was the best coping mechanism to keep my mind healthy as I went through the trying times of both surgery and subsequently divorce.
2, 9’s by Myls Kleinfeld
Q: When people walk through your gallery, what is one thing that you want people to take away from your work?
A: I want them to feel a sense of power, through the use of color and composition. I want them to feel that the work has strength and purpose. If the public is able to walk away with the feeling of “wow that was pretty cool, bold, and pretty strong, that would make me very happy.”
6, S’s by Myles Kleinfeld
Q: How did you know when the pieces for this exhibition were finished? How did you know that this is it, it’s done?
A: I usually step back from my computer screen, and look in a different direction. Then I’ll come back and look at the screen again. So it is a process figuring out when it is done - I’ll just get away from the desk or the studio, wherever I am. I know it’s done, when I see that everything is in balance with all the colors making sense. A lot of the times, I would be playing around with my work while my children did their homework and I would ask them what they would think of my art. They were actually honest and pretty helpful! I need to give them credit because they helped me make adjustments, ultimately helping me to decide when the piece was finished.
Q: Is there anything else you wanted to cover or talk about that we haven’t yet?
A: Well, my children just left for college and so I have a lot more time on my hands. I am looking forward to spending more time focusing on art. I think that having shows like this one at Twin Pines Art Center in Belmont and getting feedback from the public helps me to understand what is contemporary in the art world. Being contemporary is paramount to me as public opinion of art seems to shift from generation to generation. I am very excited about the future and what I am going to be doing next - which is probably more along the lines of doing the digital paintings and NFT’s and seeing where it goes.
Myles Kleinfeld is now being represented by the Siy Gallery, 1026 Folsom Street, San Francisco, CA. For more information contact Nounie Siy at 415-275-2066.