Uploaded May 2021 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
For Thomas “Detour” Evans and David Kassan, painting modern portraits means capturing the essence of a person as much as a likeness.
In this episode of Artists Network’s Art Bound podcast, host and K Contemporary gallery owner Doug Kacena explores modern portraiture with artists David Kassan and Thomas “Detour” Evans. Both artists take on deeply relevant and moving subjects: Kassan recently painted a series of Holocaust survivors, and Detour brings issues of social justice and representation to life in murals and paintings. The three discuss the value of empathy, compassion, authenticity, and capturing a subject’s essence in modern portraits. Kassan’s formal training and Detour’s collaborative, interactive approach create an interplay of perspectives that arrives, in the end, at love and dedication.
About the Artists
THOMAS “DETOUR” EVANS specializes in large scale public art, interactive visuals, portraiture, immersive spaces, and creative directing. He creates work where art and innovation meet. A born collaborator and “military brat,” Detour expands customary views of creativity and challenges fine-art paradigms by mixing traditional mediums with new approaches. He is the author of Be The Artist: The Interactive Guide to a Lasting Art Career. Learn more at iamdetour.com and @detour303.
DAVID JON KASSAN is a contemporary American painter known for his life-size representational paintings. A form of social documentary, David’s paintings are raw, poignant, and profoundly honest, capturing humanity in its true form. David’s “Facing Survival,” featuring portraits of Holocaust survivors, was presented by USC Fisher Museum of Art in 2019 following his residency with the museum and USC Shoah Foundation. Kassan’s works are held in public and private collections worldwide. Learn more at davidkasson.com and @davidkassan.
For Thomas “Detour” Evans and David Kassan, painting modern portraits means capturing the essence of a person as much as a likeness.
In this episode of Artists Network’s Art Bound podcast, host and K Contemporary gallery owner Doug Kacena explores modern portraiture with artists David Kassan and Thomas “Detour” Evans. Both artists take on deeply relevant and moving subjects: Kassan recently painted a series of Holocaust survivors, and Detour brings issues of social justice and representation to life in murals and paintings. The three discuss the value of empathy, compassion, authenticity, and capturing a subject’s essence in modern portraits. Kassan’s formal training and Detour’s collaborative, interactive approach create an interplay of perspectives that arrives, in the end, at love and dedication.
About the Artists
THOMAS “DETOUR” EVANS specializes in large scale public art, interactive visuals, portraiture, immersive spaces, and creative directing. He creates work where art and innovation meet. A born collaborator and “military brat,” Detour expands customary views of creativity and challenges fine-art paradigms by mixing traditional mediums with new approaches. He is the author of Be The Artist: The Interactive Guide to a Lasting Art Career. Learn more at iamdetour.com and @detour303.
DAVID JON KASSAN is a contemporary American painter known for his life-size representational paintings. A form of social documentary, David’s paintings are raw, poignant, and profoundly honest, capturing humanity in its true form. David’s “Facing Survival,” featuring portraits of Holocaust survivors, was presented by USC Fisher Museum of Art in 2019 following his residency with the museum and USC Shoah Foundation. Kassan’s works are held in public and private collections worldwide. Learn more at davidkasson.com and @davidkassan.
