Show Preview | David Kammerzell

Santa Fe, NM
Giacobbe-Fritz Fine Art, July 13-29

David Kammerzell, Boom Shaka Laka!, oil, 12 x 12.

David Kammerzell, Boom Shaka Laka!, oil, 12 x 12.

This story was featured in the July 2018 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art July 2018 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.

“The West was a blank canvas where people could create what they wanted out of it,” says artist David Kammerzell. “They traveled for fame and fortune, and all they found was heartache and misery, but it didn’t stop them from wanting to try.” The West and the mythology of the historical cowboy are favorite subjects for the artist, who enjoys the challenge of bringing them out from the dusty archives of history. Kammerzell presents a new body of work in his first solo show at Giacobbe-Fritz Fine Art this month. The show is titled Myths and Mythos, and it features 15 of the artist’s trademark cowboys and cowgirls against colorful, stylized backgrounds. It opens on Friday, July 13, with an artist’s reception from 5 to 7 p.m. The artist also sets up his easel in the gallery the following Saturday, when patrons can talk with him and see his creative process.

Kammerzell began his career in graphic design creating animations. But after 20 years in the business, he left to pursue a full-time painting career. His background, combined with his love of early 20th-century illustrators, have contributed to his unique style. “These illustrators were selling basic products that they had to glam up,” he says. “I like the idea of taking something simple, like an ordinary photograph, and making it more attractive and exciting.” Gallery owner Deborah Fritz is excited about Kammerzell’s work. “He’s only been with us for about five months, but we keep selling his work so quickly,” she says. “We want his refreshing, contemporary western style out in the spotlight.”

Kammerzell hunts through archival photographs in libraries and museums to find his muses, many of whom were part of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. “You can see on their faces how proud they were to be a part of it,” he says. After choosing a photograph to work from, Kammerzell uses Photoshop software to design his composition and find interesting patterns and colors to bring it to life. “There’s nothing really dark or scary in my work,” he says. “I want people to feel that same aspirational feeling of wanting to do or see something better.” —Mackenzie McCreary

contact information
505.986.1156
www.giacobbefritz.com

This story was featured in the July 2018 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art July 2018 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.

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