Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephen Kasun.
Hi Stephen, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
I was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, and took on a passion for painting and drawing as soon as I could hold crayons. Somehow, I was painting watercolors in grade school and started making house portraits for my mom, a realtor, to give as gifts to her clients. By high school, it was clear to me that anything but focusing on my artwork was a waste of time, so off to art school, I went. I attended Memphis College of Art, Art Academy of Cincinnati, and the University of Cincinnati’s Art School.
Most of the serious artists I knew believed they had to move to NYC, or land the perfect gallery, or stick to academia, but I wanted to be at the “street level,” selling my work directly to people that loved art. I quickly figured out that doing art festivals gave me a whole new education on business, travel, what worked, and what didn’t.
Meanwhile, my parents had retired from Cincinnati to Savannah, GA, and I had moved to Florida, where art fairs were abundant. I visited Savannah often, and had some galleries representing me there and also did art fairs there- Savannah, as a theme to my work, was loved not only in Savannah but everywhere else. It was only a matter of time before my wife Heidi and I moved up to Savannah, where we have been for 13 years now.
I had been on a waiting list for one of City Market’s art studios, and when one of the smallest ones opened up, we moved and set up shop. I was so busy with it that Heidi had to quit her new job at the Historical Society to help me. I’ve upgraded my gallery space a few times over the years there and hired a full-time gallery manager. I also bought a big, old, fixer-upper house with a studio on the outskirts of downtown Savannah, lucking out at getting a great deal on it during the housing bubble’s pop about ten years ago.
Taking care of my aging parents, one of which is now in a nursing home, and painting and working on the house is how I spend my days. It’s about as “American Dream” as it gets, and there are no regrets.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I learned early in life that a strong work ethic and a willingness to persevere at all costs to chase the artist’s dream has to be the attitude I keep throughout life. Set goals and strive for them. Many will happen, some won’t, but always be working towards them whether they’re out of reach or not. It’s important to have big goals and small ones too. You’ll enjoy the small victories when you make them.
Being in the arts has a lot of uncertainty, and there will be sacrifices you have to make. If you are paying attention, you’ll learn how to get better at business, at your craft, and gain an understanding of the world. I’ve had galleries abruptly close, owing me substantial money and my work back, but instead of wasting energy feeling sorry for myself, I vowed to one day open my own gallery and not rely on others for everything.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Putting paint on paper or canvas was my passion from childhood, and nothing else in art or life has ever come close to taking away my interest in it. Sure, it’s great to experiment and learn other crafts (I’ve learned musical instruments and other things, but they always end up being a distraction to my focus on making great paintings).
The real value of art education isn’t to teach you how to do a specific thing well, but to teach you to solve problems you don’t even know you will have as you change and grow as an artist throughout your life. I can look back and pinpoint an important shift in thinking for me, where I had been overly reliant on detail-oriented painting with brushes. I decided I would put down all brushes and figure out how to paint with other things instead, like palette knives. This was exciting and scary, and I made a lot of ugly paintings that went into a landfill. In time, I figured it out.
I became known as a “palette knife painter” because using painting knives creates an obvious “look” to the paint, and it suited my temperament, so it’s a change I embraced. Most artists don’t try this because you will often waste a LOT of paint- your whole inventory of tubed paints can disappear in an afternoon- but I no longer slaved away at getting tiny details right with tiny brushes. This was about 20 years ago.
I still refuse to use brushes in a painting, but I like to use scrapers, blown air, and really anything that’s an “alternative” to brushes. Forcing that “limitation” makes solving painting problems exciting. Plus, you will naturally get a large variety of marks, which is always a plus. An artist’s style is the sum of all the nuance of their “voice,” and to have a unique voice is something I’m proud of.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I have had the luxury of having parents who just wanted me to be happy. They had no interest in the arts but were encouraging. If I wanted to learn to do something, I needed to go about it on my own. If I wanted to buy something, I had to work to make my own money for it. I appreciate this sort of upbringing now. My wife is my cheerleader and support system now, and I rely on her a lot.
As to my career in the arts, I have to thank all the teachers, professors, and mentors early on. I’ve learned a little bit from each of them. Once the internet evolved, I learned little bits from all over the world constantly. This is the information golden age.
As to business, I have to thank City Market’s management for giving me better and better gallery/studio spaces and having faith in me. Most importantly, I have to thank every single collector of my work for giving me the ultimate compliment- purchasing it. This is what allows it all to keep moving forward for me.
Pricing:
- I only sell original artworks, no prints.
- Small works are $200-$500
- Medium-sized works are $500-$1000
- Large works are typically in the $2000-$4000 range
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.kasunstudio.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kasunart/
