David M. Kessler (Winston-Salem) is an award-winning contemporary artist working in both watercolors and acrylic media. His paintings are marked by bright colors, bold compositions, dynamic movement, and expressive brushwork. David states, “To create these lively abstract compositions, I approach the canvas with an open mind and no pre-conceived ideas of what will develop. Armed only with the design elements of line, shape, color, value, and texture, I apply paint quickly with intuition and spontaneity.”
Born in North Carolina, David attended Virginia Tech where he studied under renowned artist Ray Kass. He graduated magna cum laude from the College of Architecture at UNC-Charlotte. After attending a workshop with internationally known artist Sterling Edwards, he became a well-known painter because of his bright colors, rich values, and well-planned compositions. After studying the works of Jackson Pollack, Willem DeKooning and Franz Kline, he began painting in acrylics.
As an architect, David understands that structure forms the framework that supports a building. As an artist, he understands that a painting needs structure created by the design elements of line, shape, color, value, and texture to form the framework that supports the painting. While structure is constrained and premeditated, spontaneity is unconstrained, providing the perfect contrast.
David has exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions and his award-winning paintings are found in corporate and private collections in NC and throughout the United States. His current body of work, “Structure vs. Spontaneity” is presented in the Stanback Gallery Hall.
