Today we’d like to introduce you to David Kaul
Hi David, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I started out doing graffiti wherever I could, and I developed this passion about large-scale public art through that. I then went on to study design at Cornish in Seattle and started down a more traditional design path. As much as I love it, there really wasn’t a way to earn a living doing graffiti especially at that time. After Cornish I moved down to Los Angeles where I worked mostly as a graphic designer for some brands and ad agencies, but I kept finding myself being pulled back to mural projects. I’d take them here and there, but it was always just a side gig. Then after I left the agency world and became a full time freelance designer, mural work started to play a much bigger role in my professional life. During the early part of the pandemic it was virtually the only work I was doing, mostly for Rivian the car manufacturer. Finally in 2024, me and my longtime collaborator, Will Cassayd-Smith, decided to partner up and formalize a company that just focused on large-scale artwork like murals, signage, and lettering. I handle the creative side of the things, and Will handles the business side of things. That’s how Pulling Paint was formed, and this past year we’ve done more projects than I’ve ever been able to do in a single year.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The path here has really been winding, both in terms of my own journey to get to the place that I’m currently at, and also in terms of just how difficult it is to make art into something smooth and predictable. The biggest challenge was always that leap, I think. It’s very hard to have the confidence that your ability as an artist will be enough to keep you going, both financially and existentially, but it just feels amazing to finally be in a place where I can spend the majority of my time painting on a wall. I wish I would’ve done it sooner, but I’m glad I did it. Each project also has its own challenges and struggles, and being able to adapt to and overcome those has been a skill that I’ve had to develop as an individual, and something that we’ve had to really focus on as an organization. It was certainly a lot harder to deal with those when it was just me as a solo artist though.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Pulling Paint Murals?
Pulling Paint is a company that’s built just for huge pieces of art. We design and paint murals, lettering, and signage for people and businesses. Everything we do is hand-painted, which in our mind is just such an amazing way for businesses to present themselves to the world. When you’re physically painting things onto walls, instead of applying or installing something, it really becomes a more permanent, living thing. We work with all types of companies, and in all types of situations. We love doing original designs, but we’re also just as comfortable working with pre-existing designs and capturing them perfectly on a surface. We’re also very focused on constantly improving how we do things – we’ve been doing bigger and more ambitious projects, and we want to just keep evolving. Also, we just want to make sure people are proud of what’s been painted. Nothing makes us happier than people who are just excited to see their vision come to life in paint. It’s always so much more vibrant and tactile than what you see on a screen. We’re just really proud and consider ourselves very fortunate to have been able to do so many projects in Los Angeles and elsewhere, and we’re really excited to keep doing more in the future.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
My favorite podcasts are mostly about graffiti or skating, like Living Proof Radio and The Nine Club, and Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend is just great to listen to. I also really love reading books that help me understand the history of art better and push my abilities forward, like The Art of Getting Over and Ken Barber’s Lettering Manual.
Pricing:
- Murals are based on size and complexity
- Projects can vary significantly
- We always try to work within budgets when available
- We’re very transparent in how we arrive at our costs
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pullingpaintmurals.com/
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/pullingpaint
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pulling-paint/
