Brushes With Memory…

Representational painter, David Kassan, combines psychology, anatomy, and masterful technique to create paintings that bloom with life. His life-size paintings always drew the viewer in and enwrapped their attention, but one of his latest series, “Facing Survival,” invites viewers to interact with 20th-century heroes. The series of portraits depict survivors of the Holocaust, a study of life that Kassan devoted months of research to and interviews with each subject. The results are tremendous profiles in courage, celebrations of life, and symbols of bravery. Kassan is based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and his paintings have exhibited in galleries and museums across the United States and private collections around the world. In his most recent in-person visit to SCAD in January, Paula Wallace sat with Kassan to reflect on his gift to the modern visual art landscape and his valued mentorship to SCAD students.