David Kasman painted the Johnson House (Monhegan Island, Maine) – amazing! Hangs in our “Monhegan room”!
Several years ago Fred and I were on Monhegan Island, Maine… we walked into the Lupine Gallery (love that gallery!) and saw this painting by David Kasman. We had an immediate response to it… both of us. Music we don’t always agree on, but art… we both love the same thing, and this was it. It had that wonderful looseness that in my mind is so difficult to achieve… and it held a great memory. For those of you familiar with Monhegan, the Johnson house sits at the top of Horn’s Hill past the Novelty on the left hand side. The views from this cottage are breathtaking (what I’ve seen photos of, we haven’t stayed there… )
This year, after hiking we were sitting on the porch at the inn. An artist set up an easel overlooking the wharf/buildings looking toward Manana. I was thrilled to watch someone paint… I did manage to get a few photos of David. From watching him paint I can tell you this man is focused. He has an absolute plan. Nothing appears to happen by chance. Every move… deliberate. I can see the slight Sovek looseness in his paintings that I adore so much. Very unique! All I could think the entire time he painted was WHO ARE YOU?!
David was a joy to watch paint. After he was finished we spoke to him. What a nice guy! I cannot say enough good things! I highly encourage you to check out his work, it’s on display at the Lupine Gallery on Monhegan, as well as other galleries, check his website for details! It’s fabulous! David started out in sculpture, which is a feat in itself. A sculptor, an artist… jeez, some people have the talent, but let me tell you, he wasn’t sitting on the porch relaxing… he was PAINTING!!
Here is another painting… of fishing boats in Provincetown… (Image: DavidKasman.com)
Here is one of the public sculpture’s he created (Image also DavidKasman.com):
The description from David’s website: “Resurgence”, viewed from Harvard Street, Harvard Square, unveiled on June 11, 2011. This piece marks the 25th Anniversary of Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre and honors its founder, Jose Mateo. While not overtly religious, it is intended to exude a positive, spiritual effect on those who see it. Kasman hopes it will inspire viewers to learn more about dance, sculpture and the arts, in general.
YEP! I know, amazing, right?
Here’s a shot I took of David in the beginning stages of the painting…
And THIS is the final painting… a masterpiece indeed!
Here’s a blip about David from his website:
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David Kasman (born 1962, Boston, Massachusetts, USA)
David Kasman is best known for his bronze sculptures as well as his direct observation oil paintings of beaches, Boston and Maine.
He earned a Bachelor’s degree from Cornell University in Mechanical Engineering. While at Cornell, he also studied sculpture with Jonathan Squire and Jim Cole. At that time, he primarily worked on wood, abstract sculptures, though he was also reintroduced to representational modeling in clay, something he had enjoyed as a young boy.
From 1985-1999 he ran the family business, designing and manufacturing laboratory instruments, including the well known MEL-TEMP®, melting point apparatus, which was invented by his father, Sidney. During those years, he invented and patented several additional instruments for use by scientists. At night and on weekends, he used the large, open space of the companies’ warehouse to create sculptures with live models. In 1994 he spent a month in the Loire Valley of France to study sculpture with Martine Vaugel. In 1995, he studied artistic anatomy and sculpture at the Lyme Academy of Fine Art with Dean Keller, Don Gale, Laci de Gerenday and Elizabeth Chandler.
In 1998 he won the 1st place award, the Roger T. Williams prize, at the National Sculpture Competition, sponsored by the National Sculpture Society. In that year, he married Katy Coughlin and the two moved to Newton, Massachusetts. In 1999 the family business was sold and David decided to devote his full efforts to his art. He converted his garage into an art studio.
In 2002 he began to study oil painting. He attended a workshop taught by David Leffel and another by Charles Sovek. He also learned from his favorite art instruction books by William Morris Hunt, Charles Webster Hawthorne and Robert Henri. In 2003, he returned to the Lyme Academy of Fine Art to study painting with Jerry Weiss and life drawing with Don Gale.
He was accepted to the Copley Society of Art in Boston 2002 and his work has been included in many juried shows there as well as by several other New England galleries.
He was awarded a residency at the Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center in September of 2008. In that year, he also began to make large-scale versions of his most successful sculptures.
In 2011 his sculpture, Resurgence, a permanent outdoor sculpture that was commissioned by Jose Mateo Ballet Theatre, was unveiled in Harvard Square.
His paintings and sculptures are in numerous prominent collections which include:
The Bush Family, Kennebunkport, ME
Jamie Wyeth
Ernie Boch Jr.
Jack Connors Jr.
Remak Ramsay
Joseph and Kathy O’Donnell
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Catch you back here tomorrow!
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