alley-in-profile

[David Kassan]

I've been lurking here for awhile, Loads of great and inspiring work. Blown away by the new design of the place, anyway I wanted to post a painting that I dropped off at the Gallery a few weeks ago.

This is a quick shot of the painting, the color is really crappy on the repro, I just got a 4by5 of it and when I scan it in the nxt couple of days I'll post a better version. Or if anyone is in NYC they can swing by Gallery Henoch in Chelsea to see the original, it was up as part of a group show last month and is probaly in the back office now that there is another show up.

72 by 36 inches. oil on wood panel.

[David Kassan]

I forgot I wanted to add this shot of the model goofin in front of the painting.

http://davidkassan.com/alley.jpg

[Barts]

wow! that this totally mindblowingly awesome, really really awesome, reminds me of the masters works very smooth rendering, well done

[bdfoster]

Hey Dave--

If you're the Dave Kassan I think you are (and I think you must be) I'm glad to see you posting on here. Your work has done nothing but gotten better since your days at Syracuse. I always figured you'd be getting into gallery work.

The piece is lovely (and based on the second photo, HUGE!). My only crit is that I'd like to see some little indication of her left arm. Right she almost looks pasted on to the background, and I think the other arm being in the piece could really add a little depth to the piece and make it a little less awkward.

Great piece-- now post more!!

-Ben

PS-- Drop me a line when you have a chance. email is the same as my CA.org user @gmail.com.

[bdfoster]

Just thumbed through your website. KILLER!

This one (http://davidkassan.com/paint/images/self_2.jpg) really knocked me out of my seat. Great great piece.

[David Kassan]

Thanks Barts.

If you're the Dave Kassan I think you are (and I think you must be) I'm glad to see you posting on here. Your work has done nothing but gotten better since your days at Syracuse.

Wow the cuse dayz, That was a long time ago. What have you been up to? Illo work? I did a few illo covers and such out of school and it wasn't really for me, I lucked into the gallery 6 months out of school, so I done much illo since.

The piece is lovely (and based on the second photo, HUGE!). My only crit is that I'd like to see some little indication of her left arm. Right she almost looks pasted on to the background, and I think the other arm being in the piece could really add a little depth to the piece and make it a little less awkward.

Left arm is valid, The jpg is way dark, I think the contrast is way high. who knows. :)

Just thumbed through your website. KILLER!

Thanks, That was bought by the Art Students League here in NY, its up in the Lobby right now. Says you are in CT? Do you get to nyc ever, There are few other Syracuse Alum that I hang out with every couple of months. Did you see Jerome's show at ACA gallery. That guy is amazing.

[Staz Johnson]

That is absolutely freakin' awesome!!!!!

[mwillustration]

the painting makes the model look older than she is compared to the photo of her next to it, but great peice all the same.
i think it's because of the deepening of her eyes, the slight overemphasis on her smile lines, and the harshness of the jawline (the models looks more soft and elegant).
the angle of the nose is a little off too, pointing up a bit too much.

if you didn't post the pic of the model with the painting i wouldn't have noticed. :)

beautiful peice though.

[bdfoster]

Dave--

Sent you a PM. Didn't want to derail a thread about your art. ;)

[David Kassan]

the painting makes the model look older than she is compared to the photo of her next to it, but great peice all the same.
i think it's because of the deepening of her eyes, the slight overemphasis on her smile lines, and the harshness of the jawline (the models looks more soft and elegant).
the angle of the nose is a little off too, pointing up a bit too much.

if you didn't post the pic of the model with the painting i wouldn't have noticed. :)

beautiful peice though.

Thanks for the input. Drawing is something I'm always working on.

[David Kassan]

That is absolutely freakin' awesome!!!!!

Thanks, checked out your site briefly, great comic work.

[Unbreakable]

Wow!!

[Mr Man]

Insane painting skills!

[Erilaz]

Stunning. Just stunning. A gorgeous pose and mood.

[Arne S.]

the painting is great, but her knee used to be higher.

__________________
WORKING CLASS HERO
http://www.comicagentur.de/banner/01.jpg (http://www.comicagentur.de)

[Aly Fell]

Great work sir! And yes, amazing pieces on your website too!

[Matsign]

That is a beautiful oil piece! Congratulations. I especially like the texture along with the obviously superb anatomy and use of contrast. I'd like to know how you created the dripping effect? Is that a simple process? (I haven't worked with oils before).

[TheDirtSyndicate]

holy bloody hell....

[Rick_Parker]

WOW, awesome!!

[S.C. Watson]

Absolutely lovely work. thanks for posting.

[David Kassan]

Thanks again everyone, Great valid info in the way of crits.

Complete2,
Awesome graphic design work, those textures are sweet.

created the dripping effect? Is that a simple process? (I haven't worked with oils before). The drips are pretty easy, wet into wet reticulation. Gravity :) I've been experimenting with appying oil paint through a spray gun so that I can get more of a stencil/street art effect that I want, however Its a messy affair.

[el coro]

DAVID!! wow so great to see you posting here! welcome to our humble home :). i first ran across you at n'elle arts a couple years ago. seems you have been making awesome progress in your works. fantastic stuff dude! anyway, hope to see ya around here more in the future. your stuff is always sweet candy to my eyes.-c36

[David Kassan]

DAVID!! wow so great to see you posting here! welcome to our humble home :). i first ran across you at n'elle arts a couple years ago. seems you have been making awesome progress in your works. fantastic stuff dude! anyway, hope to see ya around here more in the future. your stuff is always sweet candy to my eyes.-c36

Hey Brotha,

How have you been? Thanks for the kind words, Seems like you are continuing to make some sweet works yourself these days. I saw your site a couple of months ago, and you are really producing some cool sh!t. I'm going back after this post to see it again. cheers.

[Layil]

welcome to the forums, im glad youve come out of lurkdom!

gorgeous work, i hope you post more. great likeness on the model too.
:)

[donalfall]

Wow. Blown away. I love it.

[draw]

FUCKIN HELL!!!










There ya go, almost as intense as your work is to me!
(Actually no where near as intense)

PS What an Awesome web site!! Thanks for posting, it's great for an amateur in Australia to see what a bona fide professional produces, a really, really big massive kick in the arse.

[Justin.]

Your work is awesome- I can only find 1 thing that bothers me about this piece- it's the feet- or rather, foot that is closest to us. It looks sort of stiff, and the pinky toe looks misplaced- but I'm nitpicky. It's a nice piece, and that (self?)portrait looks awesome (that Foster linked to)

[willus]

That's a spectacular painting. I live in Brooklyn... maybe on my next trip into manhattan i should stop by that gallery.

Nice job!

[JAG.]

beautiful.. - JAG

[David Kassan]

Your work is awesome- I can only find 1 thing that bothers me about this piece- it's the feet- or rather, foot that is closest to us. It looks sort of stiff, and the pinky toe looks misplaced- but I'm nitpicky.

Not picky at all, I really fucked up on the feet. to be honest I think I had them in 20 mintues, a lot looser, then I over worked them. Live, learn and move on. :) Thanks!

Willus, where in brooklyn are you?

[lyon]

David - Been a fan of your work since the first image of yours I saw. Great piece and I love the other pieces on your site. Your paint surface looks so delicate. I would love to see some surface shots that show the washes and any brushwork. Any chance of that? I look forward to more of your work very much.

[David Kassan]

David - Been a fan of your work since the first image of yours I saw. Great piece and I love the other pieces on your site. Your paint surface looks so delicate. I would love to see some surface shots that show the washes and any brushwork. Any chance of that? I look forward to more of your work very much.

Thanks lyon, Once I get some real scans of the transparency I'll post some. I usually use a combo of cold wax and oleo pasto for texture. I also love venice turps and amber medium, cause they holds a brushstroke well.

[willus]

Willus, where in brooklyn are you?

David -

I'm in Windsor Terrace, just 2 blocks south of Prospect Park and the movie theater.

You have a studio or teach? Just wondering where all the painters in brooklyn get busy at. On my block I have a couple of artist studios. Both are converted store fronts turned studio.

[David Kassan]

I'm in Bayridge off the R, Its a trek, but its great to get reading, and sketches done on the Subway. My studio is in my Apartment. You have a couple of studios?

[willus]

I'm in Bayridge off the R, Its a trek, but its great to get reading, and sketches done on the Subway. My studio is in my Apartment. You have a couple of studios?

no, sorry. I should've been more clear in my previous post. THere are 2 private artist studios on my block but i've never been in them. I pass them and try to get a look inside through the curtains and can sometimes see some sort of sculptures...

My studio is in my apartment. I don't paint tho. :[

[mconnors]

I am in prospect heights right by the atlantic rail yards. Gotta move in december though, conteplating a big space in jackson heights are a small place in brooklyn heights. Brooklyn in great place.

[David Kassan]

Bayridge is pretty cool, very diverse, I think its a cool area for real artists, unlike Williamsburg which is better for poser trustfund artists. I think you get a little more for your money out here.

My friend Dan Thompson lives a few blocks away. He is a great painter,
check out his site at http://danthompsonart.com/

[Madfishmonger]

"Holy crap" is what Is aid out loud when I saw this. Are you sure it's a painting? *stunned*

[michaelh]

Total Class David!
beautiful sense of restrait and powerful composition.
Excerptional!

[David Kassan]

Total Class David!

Thanks Michael and Madfish

[Mike Dutton]

Nothing but props, David. Good to have you here with us. :)

[stoph]

amazing hands, amazing feet, amazing render.. AMAZING EVERYTHING! heh. great work man, and welcome! :yayca:

[twoheaded]

Great piece!
The "tear" piece on your website really moved me.
It's easy to dismiss it as boring at first glance, but somehow the passion and the mastery exuded through a seemingly mundane subject, really captured me. It made me re-think my art philosophy thats for sure.
I really hope you stick around and maybe share a little bit of your thoughts and process.

[Mandryk]

David....love your work man- so inspiring and humbling all at once.

Are there any prints availble for purchase? I know I'd buy one in a second.

[Tigermilk]

lovely

[Rhynome]

You made her look so [even more] noble.
I'm going to have you do my portrait when I become tyrant.

This is fantastic.

[GunTrouver]

Wow, that`s perfect! No, more than perfect, better then reality:) I love the stuff on your website, you`re a masterpainter. Hope to see more from you soon!:D

[openanewworld]

That is so so so amazing, do you have steps of making that, you are fine artist totally? Have you ever painted digitally, I am a totally digital artist, still woundering should I seriously join a long term course to learn fine art, do you feel I can paint digitally and still improve my artistic skill, sorry to ask you that many

[Hybridstar]

Nice piece. Posting the model does highlight a few inherent drawing flaws but still, who normally sees the model! Nice job.:)

[David Kassan]

Thanks everyone,

Great piece!
The "tear" piece on your website really moved me.
It's easy to dismiss it as boring at first glance, but somehow the passion and the mastery exuded through a seemingly mundane subject, really captured me. It made me re-think my art philosophy thats for sure.
I really hope you stick around and maybe share a little bit of your thoughts and process.

Wow, that is the best compliment I've gotten, I love doing those paintings, except that haven't been recieved well by my gallery, They are there somewhere in the racks. I was blown away with complete2's textures in his Graphic design work. Check it out if you can. I peppered him with a ton of questions and his answers were very informative.
For me its about changing the surface into the surface i want it to be, everything is done from a first person POV so that it mimics life. I'm also very interested in the idea of a stratographic image. Discovering layers upon layers. The idea is that these areas are found objects being documented. Thats the short of it. :)

That is so so so amazing, do you have steps of making that, you are fine artist totally? Have you ever painted digitally, I am a totally digital artist, still woundering should I seriously join a long term course to learn fine art, do you feel I can paint digitally and still improve my artistic skill, sorry to ask you that many

No steps, sorry I do have a few demos that I'm planning on posting on my site eventually. Never painted digitally, except some playing around with painter 6 years ago. I think that an intense life painting class would benefit anyone, digital or not. The Art Students League is a great place to study a la carte.

Nice piece. Posting the model does highlight a few inherent drawing flaws but still, who normally sees the model! Nice job.

LOL true

[morningbloom915]

beautiful. I wish you lived in Vegas so you could teach me.

[Simon.Rain]

wow, this is pretty amazing

[Interceptor]

Oh snap..
Great work !!

[Gavin Hargest]

Amazing!

[Adam Carnes]

David Kassan- stunning work! Your depth is very striking. I really appreciate the blend of texture and human form. It sort of reminds me of Steven Assaels background textures. Very effective use of negative space. In terms of the figure, some areas are a little flat. Such as the torso. Back of the ribs meeting the arm pit need to fall into space more. The knee caps and front of the rib cage need to be pushed more. Maybe even the back of the neck could be pushed too. But, besides the nit picks, truely great work. Was it done from a photo or life or both? In my own work, I tend to start from life and finish from a photo. Also, I checked out your site; you will acheive great things. Thanks for your contribution.

:xpld:

[nineself]

Awesome painting, man!

[Nicko]

This is amazing. She really resembles a TV Host named Sarah Lane.
5 Stars.

[David Kassan]

In terms of the figure, some areas are a little flat. Such as the torso. Back of the ribs meeting the arm pit need to fall into space more. The knee caps and front of the rib cage need to be pushed more. Maybe even the back of the neck could be pushed too. But, besides the nit picks, truely great work. Was it done from a photo or life or both? In my own work, I tend to start from life and finish from a photo. Also, I checked out your site; you will acheive great things. Thanks for your contribution.

:xpld:

Thanks Adam, I think that the photo I posted was pretty contrasty which lost a great deal of the subtle transitions(i know excuses LOL). But thanks for the crit. I really try to keep all of the negative areas of a painting in mind as I work on the next painting on the easel so that I will continue to improve. I just got a new Computer, which I've been setting up today, once I get some of my programs up and running I'll try to post a better version, Anyone have a copy of PSCS out there. LOL Oh the painting was done from life. I'm really not too tech savy, I just got a camera a few months ago and I need to take a lighting class since photo and life studio stuff is completely different.

Thanks Nine and Nick! i don't know Sarah Lane, Alley always gets the girl from Spiderman, but you can't tell from my painting. :)

[Alaios]

Amazingly done! I really like the lighting and the contrast between the smoothness of her skin and the textured background.

[Chuck,mate.]

Holy Shit.
(sorry, couldn`t find anything else to say...)

fantastic piece.

[iwantjelly]

I love your rendering (couldn't find another word, me french frog) of the flesh, the final result is outstanding. But if I may, I would like to say that her right leg looks odd to me : the knee seems too low, she's got a very long thigh.

Anyway, your mastery is undeniable. I'd love to paint like that one day. I'm gonna try hard.

Edit : God, how dare I criticize your work with the crap that I draw ? Please forgive me.

[xxEnder]

wow, amazing work man. Thats just awesome, and i love the colors/lighting too, nice job.

btw she's very pretty. :)

[Lohan]

haha i know alley. i've modelled with her before.

[David Kassan]

haha i know alley. i've modelled with her before.

Thats funny, I bet it was at Spring street.

[dose]

David- what's up?! Didn't know you hung around here as well.

The piece came out awesome- nice to see it bigger than on your camera LCD. Looking forward to the post of the 4x5 scan.

Also, saw your self-portrait at the Art Students League- congrats again. Great work as usual.

Tim

[egerie]

Lovely work, I especially like your drawings. The use of texture is very nice too. I'm sure everyone would love to see or hear your process!

P.S.:By the way, your statement and instruction page seem to be 404.

[David Kassan]

Lovely work, I especially like your drawings. The use of texture is very nice too. I'm sure everyone would love to see or hear your process!

P.S.:By the way, your statement and instruction page seem to be 404.

I've been really lazy (painting) to upload all the stuff I want to those sections so once i get off my ass (painting) for a weekend I'll post them. Thanks!

[guterrez]

morning man, that means morning for me...I just came home after a night banging out my head on a hardcore punkconcert with getting some really hard hits at the family jewels, talking with friends about the pros an contras of studying in the USA ( you work on your own authority here at no mans place, but for me too many things will never been explained...) and philosophing with some damn nazis which will never see the world like I do (I`m glad I had not to fight with them tonight, I`m kind of tired at half past five am.) and so I just find the words to tell you this (beside that my damn "o" isn`t really wrking...): I love your work, it`s one of those postings which are making myself wrk harder to reach the goal I`ve set to myself, see yu n the other side...

[RyerOrdStar]

'tis very nice rendering. But I have to wonder -- Why?
I cannot understand the overall meaning of the pose and scenery.

[manji]

Gorgeous work, truly breath-taking

[Muttonhead]

Hey, wow, it's Dave Kassan from SU! I remember you! Glad to see more fellow S.U. grads posting! How are you?

Wow. Beautiful work Dave, I am really impressed! It's awesome that you are working so big. I really have the itch to work that big, except with rapidograph pens..... haha.

Anyways, keep posting, see you around! Say "Hi!" to Brooklyn for me.

-Sean (Murray)
Class of '98

[jmBoekestein]

That's really beautiful and clean renderin of her skin, I love that! It would seem you shortened her face a bit, but it still looks good so I ownder if it's intentional. Anticipating more works :D.

[Flake]

Excellent stuff.

[Adam Carnes]

About how long did it take you to finish this painting?

[Azza]

excellent paintings, truly.:D

but, if you allow, just one silly question: why do you use italian in some of your titles? those sentences are almost without sense... :xpld:

is it intentional?:rolleyes:

[David Kassan]

I posted a new version of the painting, the color I believe should be closer? I Things still look a little contrasty to me.


The piece came out awesome- nice to see it bigger than on your camera LCD. Looking forward to the post of the 4x5 scan.

Also, saw your self-portrait at the Art Students League- congrats again. Great work as usual.

Thanks Tim! I think it looked better on the small scale, so you couldn't catch the warts. LOL Thanks for checking out the Self Portrait, I'm sort of embarsed by the painting, cause its a year and half old and I think I could do so much better now. Plus its up at the league where some pretty awesome painter friends of mine are subjected to it everyday. and i aint purdy. :)

morning man, that means morning for me...I just came home after a night banging out my head on a hardcore punkconcert with getting some really hard hits at the family jewels, talking with friends about the pros an contras of studying in the USA ( you work on your own authority here at no mans place, but for me too many things will never been explained...) ...

: I love your work, it`s one of those postings which are making myself wrk harder to reach the goal

no excuses needed for being punk in drublic. :spam:Thanks!

'tis very nice rendering. But I have to wonder -- Why?
I cannot understand the overall meaning of the pose and scenery.

I'm dipolar when it comes to painting, one hand I love Kline, Stills, Motherwell, Rauschenberg and the emotion they carry in their works, I'm drawn to things in the city that inspired them, If you go through out the city streets you can find patches of found abstraction that is truly amazing, as well as graffiti and stencil spray art all around the Lower Eastside(LES) I'm crazy observant and curios about the different textures and things going on. I love its grittiness dirtiness. I'm also really into figuring out how to paint the figure and capturing its emotion. Basically ever since i got back from Italy a while ago I've been working hard on it, still have light years to go and that’s the best part cause there is so much to explore and figure out and once you do, it slips away and changes, what a great journey. I wanted this pose to reflect the model Alley, who is a character with great confidence and spirit. i think I got the confidence part but missed the boat on a lot of her personality, maybe in the next painting. That’s the short version, I have a long winded large word version of "why" coming to my site one day.

Wow. Beautiful work Dave, I am really impressed! It's awesome that you are working so big. I really have the itch to work that big, except with rapidograph pens..... haha.

-Sean (Murray)
Class of '98

The cuse in da house OMG, sorry I had to throw that cheesy line out from back in 95. Things are kewl, email me when you get a chance studio@davidkassan.com Thanks for posting about the painting. I found I love doing life-sized or just under life-sized heads so I had to continue when i wanted to do the whole body, plus they sell for more. :) You can go that big with pen there is a guy in Chelsea doing ball point pen "drawings" that are in the 10 feet size range, crazy big stuff. Send me some of the new stuff you are working on, I remember the drawings I saw back in School and they were impressive so I'm now they are pretty awesome.

That's really beautiful and clean renderin of her skin, I love that! It would seem you shortened her face a bit, but it still looks good so I ownder if it's intentional. Anticipating more works .

Thanks, I thinned her out a little and stretched her a little in the proportions so that she would fit the panel better, models love it when you do that. :)

About how long did it take you to finish this painting?

I'm usually working on 6 or 7 paintings at a time so I'm not quite sure of the number of hours, I'm sure it would depress me anyway if I did know, this one has been floating around the studio now for a few months. usually they are "done" when the Gallery is breathing down the neck at the start of the fall and spring seasons, other wise I could work on things till they are pried from the grip of my dead lifeless body.


but, if you allow, just one silly question: why do you use Italian in some of your titles? those sentences are almost without sense...

is it intentional?

You know this has come up a lot. When I got home from Italy I was so inspired by it. I was also really into adding text into the paintings, something that had to be figured out by the viewer if they really cared about the painting, otherwise just another visual element, So I wrote about the the model and the feeling I wanted in the painting. So it was kinda fractioned poetry Yeats style, and since I had just gotten back from Italy I wanted to translate it into Italian cause it was close to Latin(which I didn't want to use cause it was too classical and religious as well, I wanted it to be more of the vernacular of the people sort of like Massacio's trinity's memento mori, In Italian so that the common people could understand it as they passed through the church's graveyard into Santa Maria Novella, separated from the Clergy chanting sermons in Latin) So i consulted a number of my good Native Italian friends and they translated the text for me, and they all probably played a joke on me. LOL Sorry for butchering the language I know my relatives from Sicily are rolling in their graves and putting hexes on me.

[Azza]

Oh, nevermind.
I asked you if it was intentional because those texts, in their nonsense, has something of a poetical feeling in them.:^^:

[orionlesc]

congratulations.

[liujun]

:blahblah: really beautiful painting

[David Kassan]

:blahblah: really beautiful painting

thx liujun

[David Kassan]

just a quick update.

This painting was brought down to Philly last weekend for the US Artists show and it was sold. I'm not sure where it is going but, I heard that the couple had their kids with them and the kids were hoping that the painting wasn't going up in their house, how embarrassing :)