I have thought about doing this post for a while but thought that the artists, activists, art lovers that read Curbs and Stoops might not be into a political blog post. Recently a hammer has fallen on my head and made me realize that politics and art are indefinitely related. All of my creative friends are Barack Obama fanatics. This post is a simple amalgamation of the Obama art that many of the great artists in our community have made. Artists include: Shepard Fairey, The Date Farmers, Bask, and Munk One.

Top Left: The Date Farmers for the Democratic National Convention, Top Middle: Munk One, Top Right: Bask
Bottom Left: Shepard Fairey Poster, Bottom Above Left and Right: Shepard Fairey Installation, Bottom Right: Once5 stencil in Boston

Another Artist for Obama on Youtube

Please remember to go out and vote for change on November 4th.

This weekend I went to Pink Comma Gallery, an alternative art gallery in the Boston art district.
Pink Comma Gallery is an interesting collaborative space where art meets architecture, product design, and graphic design. Their current show exhibits the works of Corbin Smith. Corbin is a Los Angeles based photographer who uses his camera to abstractly study parts of urban environments. Corbin’s show “Close Encounters” is an exploration of LA’s Venice Boulevard. Corbin’s images capture beauty in a place where few have sought or found it.

Corbin, who has worked in the field of architecture as a project manager for Villa Project at the Getty, is used to having a keen eye. This is expressed in his photography. Corbin explains, “I like using a long zoom lens or its converse, a lens with macro capabilities. I get up very close to what I’m seeing to grab details or to create an abstraction of the subject to capture its essence, or I foreshorten it in ways that make it more graphic and two-dimensional.”

Each image is a print in a limited edition of 15 and are selling for $325 each. To see more information on Pink Comma go to their website www.pinkcomma.com

Below and Left : Artist Corbin Smith explains his images.
Below and Right: Viewers look at prints of Corbin Smith’s work.

David Jon Kassan is a master painter. Seriously, look at his stuff. I haven’t seen work like this, well, ever. Not only are they technically masterful but they are also of an incredible scale! The degree of realism that he is able to achieve is almost better than a photograph.

The creamy hues and soft undulating forms make Kassan’s portraits hyper-realistic and bring to mind images of Michelangelo’s “David” and “Pieta”. The settings are quiet and his subjects appear lonely, frozen in pensive moments. This is when the detail in Kassan’s textures come into focus and become equally as important as the main subjects. The degree of realism in Kassan’s paintings make his viewers yearn to get closer to further investigate their origin. He doesn’t miss a detail- not a hair, vein or wrinkle. Kassan’s paintings are also dream-like and inspire the viewer to look inward.

If you get a chance I would highly recommend seeing his work in person. If not you’re in luck because he has just been featured in a recently published book on Contemporary Art titled Upset. Looking froward to getting my hands on a copy.

You can go to David’s website at www.davidkassan.com