| Issue #31 - October 24, 2008 |
Honoring the Artist: Casey Anderson
If this week's cover by Casey Anderson seems a bit different to her many fans, that's because it is somewhat different. Instead of the artist's often lush landscapes with glorious color, there's the image of an advancing wave about to break on the shore. Except for the bright blue sky and water in the background, the wave is devoid of Anderson's bright pastel colors. Yet its varied hues change before our eyes. The effect is a setting that's not "real" but evokes magic realism instead. In a nutshell, a mythical, mesmerizing image.
Q: How would you characterize the wave on the cover?
A: It's the curve of the wave before it breaks, its shape, colors, power. It's not like a wave in the Pacific, which I used to paint in California. I'm more connected to the Atlantic Ocean; I find it more tranquil and exhilarating.
Q: Now that it's fall, how do you find the season is affecting your work?
A: Now, the colors are draining out of the objects. Fall prepares you for the winter, which gives you a chance to pull back. When spring comes, certain colors come out. I can't believe some of these colors, like the blue by Long Beach. I can't believe how nature made it that blue.
Q: How do these colors impact on your work?
A: I try to find an equivalent in colors, a parallel experience that I sensed about what I'm feeling. I'm not trying to copy colors in nature. I want to highlight them, transport them.
Q: That idea of creating a parallel experience is intriguing because there's a sense of danger that I see in your image of the waves.
A: Yes. I think about the waves. It's something that man cannot control.
Q: But you can control your own aesthetic development. How has that changed?
A: My colors have become more sophisticated; I use more of a combination of colors to achieve my effects. Some are more effective as glazes. I've learned to use a layering process, which I figured out myself.
Q: What artists have influenced you in your development?
A: Matisse for one, his use of opaque colors and transparency. I try and balance these. Rothko is another artist who influenced me, how he used his paint.
Q: Why is color important to you, do you think?
A: It is intuitive. I remember getting my first box of crayons, loving colors, especially blue-green. I painted a wall in my house blue-green.
Q: Do you have any philosophical, rather than formal, ideas to share about your art?
A: I believe everything has to be held in balance; it's also important where a stroke comes in relationship to the edge of the painting (although that's more practical an idea). I like to bring harmony and peace to a situation.
Ms. Anderson can be contacted via her e-mail at caseyart@hamptons.com. Her website is www.caseyart.com.
- Marion Wolberg Weiss
Back to Contents
|
|
