When in comes to the South Florida art scene, it seems as though all the shine goes on the musical artists and clothing designers; but hidden in the shadows are the graphic designers and digital artists. Rising above all of them, there's one that's been getting a lot of attention recently - an Instagram user by the name of '@yoochief'.
Real name John, you've probably seen him around a couple functions raging or vibing. The 18 year old graphic artist, specializing in cartoon portraits, has drawn up tons of artists and creators, even getting some attention from YouTube influencer Lael Hansen.
He's gotten a lot of attention locally from his series 'The Palm Beach Collection', in which he creates animated avatars and portraits of local South Florida artists such as:
Sad Generation, Micro DJ, SadBluDemon, Tommy6Figures, and more.
"The Palm Beach Collection was something that came to me after coming home from a show." Says Chief, "I love supporting local artists here in Palm Beach and what better way to do it than dropping fire art. I thought it'd be a dope idea to play around with."
-How long have you been an artist?
"It all started in second grade, I taught myself the basics when I got this Manga book. I've been doing art on and off since 7th Grade...going to art shows, doing competitions, etc. Fast forward around this time last year I started posting my art for the first time under a whole different Instagram name."
What's really been getting his name out there locally, is not only the fact that he makes art for Palm Beach artists, but his genuine love and passion for the South Florida scene as a whole.
"The South Florida music scene believe it or not is a really influential scene. The scene really changed the game. Underground rap became popular, distorted 808s became a popular thing in productions, and it slowly changed art." He says.
"It inspired me to kind of change the way I make art. In any piece I make I need to listen to the type of music that matches the feel of the piece and what feeling I want to enhance. The underground scene does that way more than mainstream music/art."
-Who are some of your favorite artists in the Palm Beach scene?
"Destroy Ev, SadBluDemon, and LovelysDeath. Destroy Ev and Blu makes me hype and Lovely is what I listen to when I draw."
"My biggest goal is to actually get known for what I do. I have a plan to actually become financially stable so I can be fully devoted to what I put out. Then I could make music, and rework on a clothing line I used to have."
-So what does the future hold for Yoochief?
"I feel that when time goes by I think I would be more of a known figure in Palm Beach. I had my hands on some serious projects like multiple album covers. I know I have to push myself harder than a lot of people here because the art community is super slept on. Once you have your base you can do anything. People will actually know who YooChief is in the future....and that's a promise."
You can follow him on Instagram to see more of his work at @Yoochief.
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT VOL.2 - Yoochief.
-Gritty