Hello
 

Hello everybody, my name is Justin Kaufman, and I am a fine artist and illustrator living an San Francisco.I happened upon this site recently, and have been lurking round for a bit. Gotta say I am humbled by the caliber of work around here. Pretty amazing stuff. About myself, i am originally from El Paso Texas, where Igot my start in the arts as a graffiti artist. I began painting portraits in spraypaint, which i still do from time to time, only legally now.

In 1997, I moved out to San Francisco to attend art school. I went to Academy of Art college for three years studying traditional illustration. Currently, I work as a conceptual artist in the video game industry, and am a founder and administrator over at http://www.conceptart.org a great entertainment arts forum of almost 8,000 members. While production art pays my bills at the moment, i am trying to transition myself over into the fine arts a bit more, and have been painting for exhibition for the past couple years. Please feel free to check out my website at www.coro36ink.com
It's kind of a mish-mash of artwork, and it's sort of all over the place, but I am still trying to find my voice. I look forward to being a part of this great community.

Here is a painting I did last year. it was a 5'6 by 7'6 foot oil on canvas. Thats me in the foreground, for lack of a better model!

Welcome
 

Welcome - glad you're here- cool art! Thanks for sharing it.

Justin,

Welcome to the Forum. I just love the painting you've posted! It's original, daring, extraodinary in design, and beautifully executed. Can you post some close-ups as well?

I look forward to your participation.

Hello Justin,

I've visited your site and am truly fascinated with your work. In Madison there has been a war on "graffiti" art, and my husband and I have been right in the middle of it. My step-son was the #1 villian, criminal, arch-enemy of the state, evil-doer, and all around nasty person for the crime of painting works of art on ugly buildings. Now he's getting paid to do the same work.

Your work is so strong in composition and originality, also the social commentary is thought provoking and heartbreaking. I'll show your site to my step-son, I've been pushing him to get the fine art training that he needs to take his work to the next level. Welcome to the forum, I look forward to seeing more of your work.

Jean

Jean,

Thanks so much for the warm welcome! My mother had to put up with my graffiti evil doings as a younger lad, so I'm sure Icompletely know what you're going through. I have to say that to some degree graffiti saved my life, as I probably wouldn't have pursued the arts without it.

I come from a part of the country where the arts weren't too prominent, and spraypaint murals were the best way to get one's art out. If not for graffiti, I would probably be dead or in prison, with most of the people I grew up with. It is a solid foundation for making art, as it encourages deftness and confidence more than a lot of mediums, as well as the added pressure of it being a public activity, exposed to the eyes of the world throughout its creation. I must admit I still enjoy it from time to time, but I only do legal pieces now. I hope your stepson continues his artistic training, as we need more Graffiti artists in the fine art world, as well as the production art field!

Chris, thank you so much for your kind words! I appreciate the warm welcome from such great artists. I am truly flattered you like this piece, it was a lot of work but very enjoyable to execute. I will post some close-ups as soon as I get home from the office tonight.

Julie, thanks very much! its an honor to be here!

What a striking and beautifully executed painting -- in other words, very cool.

I just checked out your site and I love your work, especially the street scenes. They seem to be very personal statements, and they're so strong and dramatic compared to most work in that genre that I see in galleries these days. I also really like your spray can still lifes. Now that's my idea of a great still life subject! No more of these stuffy pears-and-bowls I see everywhere else.

It was interesting to hear your story, moving from perhaps difficult beginnings, to graffiti art, to fine art. Welcome to the Forum! I look forward to reading more of your posts, and seeing more of your work.

Hi Justin,

Welcome to the club. Just lean back and enjoy the inscrutable ways of painting.

From another newcommer, Allan.

Yo....
 

Wha!? Dustin Hoffman has joined?!

Oh....sorry Justin....I misread. hehe.

Your stuff kicks copious butt man! I'm new here, too, and a native of California. When I was a teenager visiting San Francisco I spray painted on walls, too. You may've seen it........ " ERIC CLAPTON IS GOD! "

From a "former" Bay Area trouble maker,
Geary

Welcome, Justin,

I am breathless after glimpsing at the scope of your amazing talent. Your works are beyond brilliant! You are truly an asset to this forum and I look forward to your posts. Perhaps a painting demonstration would be interesting.

Garth

How bizarre, unique, and imaginative. I was compelled to check out every image on your site and truly enjoyed my visit there. Such a wide range of moods in your work. Glad to have you aboard.

Justin, it's nice to have you here. You bring a new perspective and energy, which is nice. I really enjoy the Conceptart forum as well. I particularly like the tutorials and seeing the life paintings and drawings. That's one thing that I think we're missing here. Figure painting from life is THE best way to prepare yourself to be a good portrait artist. Maybe some day I'll post at your forum as well. Now if there were only 48 hours in each day.

Wow! I didnt expect to get so many positive comments! Thank you all so much for the warm welcome!

Marvin Mattelson: I'm very happy to be posting here, and hope I can contribute something to this great community you all have going on here. You go to the conceptart forum? Wow! I never thought when we started it two years ago we'd be getting such support from the fine arts community as well. Its been a wonderful bonus. We try to show as much as possible that good production art, as well as portraiture begins with a solid understanding of foundational thinking and execution. All the answers are found in the paintings from the old masters. I'd love to see you post over at conceptart! We need more painters of your caliber showing how it's really done!

Heidi Maiers: Thank you so much! My site is a bit of a mish-mash of things, I tend to jump around a lot in terms of subject matter and execution, as it keeps the work fresh to me. I am glad you liked the stuff, and I am truly very happy to be here!

Garth Herrick: Wow! I feel the exact same way about your works! I was going through your thread and i absoultely love your paintings and sculptures. It is your works that are beyond brilliant! I would love to put a demo together. I'd be very curious to see how you work as well. if you do a demo, I promise I will!

Geary Wootten: I tease my parents to this day about the phoenetic similarities between my name and Dustin Hoffman's. They say they didnt realize it rhymed. Thats what I get for having hippies as parents! Did you know that Eric Clapton is one of the worlds foremost collectors of graffiti art? I think it might have something to do with the whole "clapton is god" thing. Thanks so much for responding, and I'm really flattered you like my stuff.

Allan Rahbek: Thank you Allan.

Michele Rushworth: Thanks! You know, the street scenes seem to be my most steady sellers. I seem to be able to move more of those than anything else. I greatly enjoy doing them. I am very fascinated with the city aesthetic and the play of light off the buildings, cars and whatnot. I look to the ashcan school for inspiration on those. Hopper and Bellows are my guides. I am also happy to hear you liked the spraypaint stilllifes! I had never though to do that until recently, and i had a lot of fun with them. Art saved my life. I can really attest to the importance and positive energy that the love of at can bring.I am thankful every single day i found it!

Thank you all again for the warm welcome!