In Greek, the word 'nostalgia' literally means "the pain from an old wound". My work does have a bittersweet nostalgic vibe to it. That sense of nostalgia comes from my love and admiration for commercial art and illustrators from the early 1900's through the 1950's. David Kammerzell was born in Houston, TX but was raised and lives in Denver, CO. He attended Arizona State University and Metropolitan State College in Denver studying Fine Art. In the mid '80's he began a career as an illustrator. He had many clients including Coors, Playboy, and Keystone Ski Resort. In the early 90's he began working in television creating graphic animations for CBS Channel 4 in Denver. Three years later he moved to Starz, a premium cable network that has more than 17 channels. David received many industry awards there including regional Emmys. He was promoted several times, eventually to the Department Head. During all of that time David painted on the side whenever time would allow. Early in 2013, after nearly 20 years at Starz, he left his position there to pursue painting full time.Kammerzell paints vintage cowboys, objects, landscapes, figures, and collage-type imagery infused with a distinctly romantic, contemporary-nostalgic air. He seeks to put the viewer in a time machine, but one where the boundaries of memory and longing are blurred. Is that the way it really was? Or do we wish to remember it that way?All of his paintings are grounded in visually strong compositions and executed in vibrant colors. He is influenced by pop culture and the great illustrators of the early 20th century. Either overtly or subtly, these influences are usually prevalent. Of his cowboy paintings, Kammerzell says: In Greek, the word 'nostalgia' literally means "the pain from an old wound". My work does have a bittersweet nostalgic vibe to it. That sense of nostalgia comes from my love and admiration for commercial art and illustrators from the early 1900's through the 1950's. In that world commercials artist worked inventively and tirelessly to get your attention. They enhanced, exaggerated, simplified and whatever else they could to produce a compelling, dramatic image. By taking a page from that playbook I work with historic, vintage photos of cowboys and cowgirls and then put them through the same process of the commercial artist to glorify and glamorize the images. I want to Hollywoodize American cowboys. It's not a literal representation of the west but rather a state of mind - a memory of a distant dream.