Fred "Kasha" Simon

I create large scale, very detailed urban landscape drawings on paper using color pencil and just a tiny bit of oil pastel. These large scale, mural-like drawings are of a fictional city somewhere in the northeastern United States. They may evoke memories or remind people of places that they have lived or known, but the landscape drawn here is unique- a world unto itself that I have created. I am a self taught artist. I have been drawing my entire life, but it wasn't until my mid 20's that I got my first studio and decided to dedicate as much of my time as I could to creating this work. There are a range of visual experiences offered by these drawings. Getting up close, and one can observe countless small details: people on sidewalks, stoops, cars, the inside of shop windows, architectural details. Stepping back, the eye can take in a larger view of the entire image, the ways in which buildings, blocks of them, along with highways, railyards, parks and other features, blend together to form patterns and layers for the observer to take in. I reference a lot of photographs when I am drawing. There are buildings in these drawings that some may recognize. Some of these buildings have since been demolished, or been transformed beyond recognition- as have some of the neighborhoods where these buildings were found. As our cities continue to change, there is an element of documentation in this work. This work has been shown everywhere from galleries to community spaces, to storefront windows, and has been sold to private collectors.