“The Gray Fog with Light Jade Waves” 30 x 48 inches oil/canvas framed
I grew up in a 4th-floor walk-up in the heart of Greenwich Village. As a kid, I’d bounce down the stairs to get to the stoop (the 5 stairs at the entry of the apartment building). I discovered I could chip away at the broken granite steps, and a handy piece of chalk was there for the taking. I would draw a proper hopscotch court on the asphalt of my one-way street. In those days there was much less traffic. When a car came by, I’d jump to the sidewalk. I played for hours, perfecting my throws and turn-around jumps on the 7s and 8s. I truly grew up on the city’s baking streets.
On sweltering days in high school, I would “cut out” of class with friends and take the D train from Manhattan to the ocean beach in Brooklyn. It could not have been farther from the pristine Hamptons beaches I get to enjoy today. There were boom boxes and beer cans and, for some reason, band-aids. But I loved diving into the water and couldn’t get enough of it. Some mild suffering awaited me at the end of the day, sunburn and sand sticking to the greasy baby oil we used to enhance our tans, but it was worth it.
Now that I live and work in my studio across the street from a pristine bay in Sag Harbor, I’m in heaven. I can see sapphire and turquoise water dotted with white caps from my living room. On a gray day, I time travel and imagine what life was like here 100 years ago. I can tell how windy it is out there and make a pretty good assessment of the direction of the wind. (a skill that took this city girl years to get)
It’s mysterious how the water seems to have a direct line to my mood, lifting it without fail. These days, my emotions and the sense of calm I get from the water pour out onto my canvases as I try to capture that feeling in oil paint. No matter what, staring out at the sea always seems to do the trick for my spirit.
Wishing you a waterview wherever you are, Casey
- “Super Moon at the Ocean” 24 x 30 inches
- Limited Editon and hand signed (printed with gorgeous archival pigment inks on fine art paper) $400.00
- Please let me know if you would like a print of your own
