At Brooklyn Station on Riverside, a streetcar is headed right at you, straight out of 1915. You think you've slipped into a time warp. This is the scene in front of you, in black and white, and it seems to move. With the car's steam projecting so vividly you brace yourself for the blast, when you realize, that it isn't real- it's a painting. You've just been teleported by Jacksonville artist David Nackashi.
I caught up with David recently, precariously perched on top of an aluminum ladder, hand painting the logo on the brick front of Intuition Ale Works’ new location on the corner of East Adams and Bay Street, where we had a conversation about his transition from the traditional canvas to the bigger than life murals and graphic designs he’s been creating.
I asked David how he is able to create such a clear representation of energy and movement on a two dimensional surface, in this case the wall of the Corner Bakery. He told me it's all about the manipulation of light and dark. This skill is also evident in his design work on the outside of Intuition Ale Works, were his hand-painted lettering and logo appear to float above the bricks, instead of being a part of them.
Chiaroscuro, the Italian term for clear tonal contrasts, is how David makes those scenes come to life, and it's not a process he's a stranger to, successfully employing the technique in both a broad spectrum of color and monochromatic paintings. You may have seen his work hanging in the Haskell Gallery at Jacksonville International Airport. His techniques give a vibrancy to his work that captures the energy in the moment of a scene, that is reminiscent of Edward Hopper.
I’ve been a fan of David’s work for I while. I first met him when he was leading a plein air (from the French “open” or in full air) group in Amelia Island. I was familiar with his cityscapes and portraiture; especially his portrait of Jaguars owner Shad Khan. David had produced Khan’s portrait using a process of his own invention, using the sun to process an image on canvas, which he calls solarization.
David said that the murals he's done to date have begun with an image, sometimes a photograph, which he converts to a drawing. From the drawing similar to his solarizations, he maps out the areas of darks and lights and assigns them a tonal value, or a level of darkness. That drawing is then converted to a grid, which can be translated on to a surface of any size. This is where David’s mathematical prowess comes into play, as he calculates the ratio and proportion necessary to take an image that fits in your hand and place it on the side of a building.
David, who is 29, told me he's been drawing as long as he could remember. After graduating from Bishop Kenny High School, he headed to The University of North Florida with the intention of becoming an architect. Then he discovered paint. "No one ever really gave me paint to work with before I got to college, it opened up a new door." Quite a wide one apparently. When the University of North Florida curated their Alumni Artist collection in 2015 they chose David as their featured painter, and his series of logging trucks was the exhibition catalog's cover piece. As part of UNF’s program, he was awarded scholarships to paint in Florence Italy, and Delhi, India.
Barberitos Grille and Cantina in Southside is another unexpected gallery of David's vivid cityscapes. A blaze of color depicts the many faces of Jacksonville: Shrimp Boats at Mayport, Downtown as viewed from the river, the Friendship Fountain, Jacksonville Beach, and the artist's own home in Springfield with his Jaguars flag proudly flying from the house, all pop from the cantina's walls. The patio dining space at Timotis in Five Points will calm you while you enjoy you fresh seafood as David’s rending of a shrimp boat fishing on a tranquil sea inhabits the entire back wall.
While we can expect David will continue to pursue his traditional work, I asked him if there is a dream space he’d like to conquer. Unsurprisingly, he answered with no hesitation; “It’s the side of parking garage at the Duval County Courthouse. It’s fully illuminated at night. Right now it’s just a blank space.” City planners- hint, hint.
